The History of the Disney Vacation Club (DVC)

Disney Vacation Club expands to Wilderness Lodge

CELEBRATION, Fla
Aug. 27, 1998

Disney Vacation Development, Inc. (DVD), operators of Disney Vacation Club (DVC) -- the innovative vacation ownership program -- announced today that it will expand its timeshare resort presence at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida to include a third resort, as well as additional development at its flagship property.

The third proposed ownership development at Walt Disney World Resort will be located immediately next to and adjoining the popular Disney's Wilderness Lodge in the Magic Kingdom Park Resorts area.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to expand the Disney Vacation Club concept to yet another site here at the Walt Disney World Resort," said Al Weiss, President of Walt Disney World Resort. "And we are especially pleased to be able to `marry' a unique Disney vacation ownership offering with an award-winning, perennial guest favorite hotel like Disney's Wilderness Lodge."

The new venture is modeled on the success of DVD's first mixed-use hotel project at Walt Disney World Resort, i.e., Disney's BoardWalk Villas - which combines both standard hotel and vacation ownership accommodations at the Walt Disney World Resort. "This union will allow us to create a truly superior vacation opportunity that will enhance and build on the popularity of a recognized Disney hotel," added Weiss.

Initial plans for the proposed DVC resort call for the development of a 136-unit free-standing, five-story vacation ownership resort consisting of studio, one- and two-bedroom vacation villas on a 4-acre site adjoining Disney's Wilderness Lodge. All units will feature either a pool, water or woods view. Development plans further call for the construction of connecting walkways and full access to Disney's Wilderness Lodge and its existing parking area; the addition of a quiet pool and health club, as well as the expansion of existing retail space, quick-service dining and other select public areas. Development is slated to begin in the spring of 1999 with an estimated completion date of the fall of 2000, contingent upon obtaining all necessary approvals.

"This newest proposed addition to the family of Disney Vacation Club Resorts is part of DVD's commitment to provide exciting new vacation offerings for its members," said Weiss. "We believe that this new resort will be a great success and that the rustic charm of this Early American national parks-inspired property will make it a preferred vacation option for members and guests alike."

Like Disney's Wilderness Lodge, the new ownership resort is inspired by the tall timber and grandeur of the Rocky Mountain national park geyser country. In keeping with Disney's legendary entertainment heritage, the DVC resort will build on the storyline "imagineered" for the Disney's Wilderness Lodge property, which describes the new structure as actually "pre-dating" Disney's Wilderness Lodge through a design reminiscent of turn-of-the century hotels built by early railroad workers in the old West national park region.

The 728-room lakeside Disney's Wilderness Lodge opened on May 28, 1994, and is modeled on the historic Old Faithful Lodge circa 1904 in Yellowstone National Park. In addition to its new resort development at the Walt Disney World Resort, DVD will also expand the number of units at its first property. "We are very pleased to complete the development plan for Disney's Old Key West Resort by converting the site that previously housed Disney Vacation Club's main sales center into 34 additional vacation ownership units," said Weiss. Construction is set to begin in the fall of 1998 with completion set for early 2000, subject to obtaining to all necessary approvals.

The growing collection of Disney Vacation Club Resorts includes Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's BoardWalk Villas, both located at the Walt Disney World Resort, as well as Disney's first resorts beyond the Walt Disney World Resort theme park locations - Disney's Vero Beach Resort on Florida's Atlantic Coast and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.

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Resort To Join Disney's Wilderness Lodge

August 27, 1998 | Orlando Sentinel

Just months after its flagship time-share resort became a sellout, Disney Vacation Club is about to grow.

The company today will announce plans to build a new, 136-unit resort near Disney's Wilderness Lodge. Plans also call for the expansion of Disney's Old Key West Resort, which sold its final week - number 25,000 - earlier this year.

Construction on the new resort, which has not yet been named, will begin in early 1999. The first units are expected to open in late 2000.

By building the resort on 4 acres near the Wilderness Lodge, Disney will be able to spend less on infrastructure items, such as parking and restaurants.

"We'll be able to take advantage of their front desk and all of their restaurants," said Mariska Elia, a Vacation Club spokesman.

However, plans call for the addition of a new pool, health club and retail space.

The new resort will rely on a theme and design similar to that of the 728-room Wilderness Lodge, which is modeled after a lodge built in 1904 near Yellowstone National Park. The two sites will be connected by covered walkways.

Expansion of Old Key West
Commodore House torn down

The expansion of the Old Key West Resort involves tearing down the now-unused sales center - the Commodore House.

A small number of units will be built in its place. "It's about 34 units - and we expect them to go like hotcakes," Elia said.

Note: The Commodore House was the original DVC Sales Center, opening in October, 1991. In July of 1998, it was closed and demolished to complete the final structures at OKW: buildings 62, 63 and 64 (those buildings opened in November 1999). The Commodore House occupied the current location for Building 62. The DVC Sales Center moved to BWV where it remained until 2003, when it moved to its present location at SSR.

Once the Commodore House (the DVC Preview Center) was demolished, Miller's road was re-routed to accommodate buildings 62-64.

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Groundbreaking for Villas at the Wilderness Lodge

April 14, 1999
CELEBRATION, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- On April 14th, Disney executives and resort industry representatives, along with a team of costumed Disney railway workers, officiated over the groundbreaking of The Walt Disney Company's newest vacation ownership project -- The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge -- as they commemorated the "union" of two Disney resorts.

Al Weiss, President of Walt Disney World Resort, was joined by George Aguel, Vice President/General Manager of Disney Vacation Development, Inc. (DVD), Cynthia Huheey, President of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), and other guests at the site of Disney Vacation Club's (DVC) fifth vacation ownership property, located immediately next to and adjoining the popular Disney's Wilderness Lodge in the Magic Kingdom Park Resorts area. The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge is scheduled to open in January 2001.

"Today's events are truly about imagination and inspiration," said Weiss. "The same pioneering spirit that led us to expand our business in new and exciting directions has also led us to expand the ways that our guests can enjoy it all."

"This 'union' of a unique Disney vacation ownership offering with a well-established Disney hotel will create an unforgettable vacation experience for families everywhere for years to come," added Weiss. Cynthia Huheey, President of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), said: "With a near 1,000% growth rate globally since 1980 and $6 billion in annual gross sales worldwide, vacation ownership is the fastest growing segment of the resort industry.

The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge will combine the unique benefits of Disney vacation ownership with the amenities of an award-winning Walt Disney World Resort hotel. The new resort is modeled on the success of the Company's first mixed-use hotel project, i.e., Disney's BoardWalk Villas at Walt Disney World Resort, which combines both standard hotel and vacation ownership accommodations.

"The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge fulfills our Company's continuing commitment to create new and exciting vacation offerings for our members," said Aguel. "When we launched the Disney Vacation Club almost a decade ago, we envisioned a collection of ownership resorts with thousands of member families. And today, as we break ground for The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, the Disney Vacation Club is a large and growing family, some 40,000 member families strong."

Plans for the proposed DVC resort call for the development of a 136-unit free-standing, five-story vacation ownership resort consisting of studio, one- and two-bedroom vacation villas on a 4-acre site adjoining Disney's Wilderness Lodge. All units will feature either a pool, water or woods view.

Also planned for construction are connecting walkways and full access to Disney's Wilderness Lodge and its existing parking area, recreation, dining and dramatic lobby areas. The addition of a pool, health club and the expansion of existing retail space and quick-service dining will complete the project.

Like Disney's Wilderness Lodge, the new ownership resort is inspired by the tall timber and grandeur of the Rocky Mountain national park geyser country. In keeping with Disney's legendary entertainment heritage, the DVC resort will build on the storyline "imagineered" for the Disney's Wilderness Lodge property, which describes the new structure as actually "pre-dating" Disney's Wilderness Lodge through a design reminiscent of turn-of-the century hotels built by early railroad workers in the old West national park region.

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Work Starts On Disney Wilderness Lodge Villas

April 15, 1999 | Orlando Sentinel

Disney Vacation Club and Walt Disney World Resort officials Wednesday broke ground on the Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, a 136-unit, five-story time-share resort on 4 acres adjacent to Disney's Wilderness Lodge.

The Villas, which will have walkways and access to amenities at the 728-room, 5-year-old lodge, are scheduled to open in January 2001. The design, officials said, reflects "turn-of-the century hotels built by early railroad workers in the old West."

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Disney announces Beach Club Villas

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.
May 25, 2000

Disney Vacation Development, Inc., operators of Disney Vacation Club (DVC) - Disney's innovative vacation ownership program -- announced today that it will expand its timeshare resort presence at the WALT DISNEY WORLD® Resort in Florida by building a fourth resort, bringing the total number of DVC resorts to six. This latest development marks a time of exciting growth for the Company, which now boasts a membership of 48,000 member families from over 60 countries.

The proposed development - which will be called Disney's Beach Club Villas - is slated to occupy a 6-acre site next to the Disney's Beach Club Resort in the Epcot® Theme Park Resorts area within Walt Disney World Resort. Development will begin this June with an estimated completion in the fall of 2002.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to bring the Disney Vacation Club concept to yet another site here at Walt Disney World," said Al Weiss, president of Walt Disney World Resort. "This latest expansion of our successful vacation ownership program allows us to provide still more magical experiences for our guest and member families."

Like its sister resort, Disney's Beach Club Villas will be designed by noted architect Robert A.M. Stern, best known for his East Coast seaside houses. The new ownership resort will be inspired by the casual elegance of Cape May oceanfront homes built in the early 20th century, reflecting a light, comfortable ambiance as characterized by the use of whimsical "stick-style" architecture, pastel colors, porches and other decorative elements.

"Our Company is committed to providing innovative vacation offerings," said Weiss. "We believe that the new resort will be a great success and that the relaxed charm of this early 1900's eastern seaboard-inspired property will make it a great vacation option for members and guests alike."

Initial plans for Disney's Beach Club Villas call for the development of a 205-unit, free-standing four & five-story vacation ownership resort consisting of studio, one- and two-bedroom vacation villas adjacent to Disney's Beach Club Resort. All units will feature either a pool, garden or courtyard view. Further development plans call for the construction of connecting walkways and full access to Disney's Yacht and Beach Club Resorts; the addition of a pool, as well as enhancements to the existing lobby/retail space and other select guest areas within Disney's Beach Club Resort.

As Disney Vacation Club approaches its decade mark in 2001, the Company is celebrating a number of achievements, including the expansion of its resort collection through the addition of Disney's Beach Club Villas and The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge (expected opening in January 2001) -- subject to government approvals -- as well as the strong growth of its member base.

The current collection of Disney Vacation Club Resorts includes Disney's Old Key West Resort and Disney's BoardWalk Villas -- both located at the Walt Disney World Resort -- as well as Disney's first resorts beyond the Disney theme park locations; Disney's Vero Beach Resort on Florida's Atlantic Coast and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.

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BCV Plans

Plans for Beach Club Villas from 2000.

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Disney To Expand Its Growing Time-share Resorts

May 26, 2000 | Orlando Sentinel

Furthering its growing time-share business, Walt Disney World will build a fourth Disney Vacation Club, set to open in fall 2002.

The 205-unit development, to be called Disney's Beach Club Villas, will be on 6 acres next to Walt Disney World's Beach Club Resort. Construction starts next month.

Disney World already has two Vacation Club resorts -- Old Key West and BoardWalk Villas -- and a third, Villas at Wilderness Lodge, set to open next January. Disney also has time-share resorts in Vero Beach and Hilton Head, S.C.

"Business has been really, really good," said Mariska Elia, spokeswoman for Disney Vacation Club. Disney moved into the time-share business in 1991. In just the past 2 years, its Vacation Club membership has nearly doubled to 48,000 families from more than 60 countries, Elia said.

Members pay a one-time fee, ranging from $10,000 to more than $200,000, for an ownership interest in a Vacation Club time-share. Like its sister resort, the five-story Beach Club Villas will be designed by architect Robert A.M. Stern, reflecting the whimsical architecture of oceanfront homes built in the early 20th century in Cape May, N.J.

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Disney Vacation Club Announces Plans for Largest Ownership Resort to Date At Walt Disney World Resort

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla.
July 23, 2001

Disney Vacation Development, Inc., operators of Disney Vacation Club (DVC) -- Disney's innovative vacation ownership program -- announced today that it will expand its timeshare resort presence at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida (subject to obtaining necessary approvals) by building a seventh DVC property. This latest development for the growing Disney Vacation Club product marks the Company's largest ownership resort project to date.

The announcement heralds a time of exciting growth for Disney Vacation Club, which now boasts a membership of nearly 60,000 member families from over 60 countries.

The proposed 600-unit ownership development is slated to occupy a 61-acre site along the award-winning Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course at Walt Disney World Resort. All rooms will feature either a pool, golf course or forest view. Initial plans call for the construction of a main Inn building encompassing a check-in area; accommodations; restaurant/lounge; theme pool with feature slide; retail space; arcade; common living room area and a health club, as well as Villa buildings containing vacation home accommodations. Development will begin this fall with an estimated opening in Spring/Summer 2004.

"We are very excited to expand the Disney Vacation Club concept to an entirely new resort area here at Walt Disney World Resort," said George Aguel, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Disney Vacation Development, Inc. "I am confident that this new offering will be a successful addition to the dynamic vacation options we provide."

The theme of the proposed DVC resort will complement and enhance the beautiful setting found at Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course. The new resort will be inspired by the architecture of Addison Mizner, a celebrated early 20th century architect who led the renaissance of Florida resort design. The property's design will reflect a variety of motifs found in indigenous Florida buildings of this era, including Spanish, Moorish, Romanesque and Gothic forms. The atmosphere and elegance found in the coastal communities of southeast Florida (including West Palm Beach and Boca Raton) will be found in the resort's architecture, ranging from tile roofs to fountains to lush, tropical landscaping.

Commissioned to design the resort was renowned architect Graham Gund, who created the architectural look for such Disney projects as Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and Disney's Vero Beach Resort -- another Disney Vacation Club property. Gund designed the resort to take advantage of the pristine setting found at Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course while maintaining the integrity of the existing golf course. Guests at the resort will have views to Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course but golfers' view of the property will be buffered, with resort buildings "stepping down" in height as they near the golf holes.

The new resort is scheduled to open in phases, with the first phase consisting of the Inn building and five Villa buildings for a total of 360 units. The Inn and one Villa building are currently expected to open in Spring/Summer 2004, with the four additional Villa buildings opening throughout the remainder of that year. The final phase of five additional Villa buildings containing 240 units are currently anticipated to open by Spring/Summer 2005.

As Disney Vacation Club approaches its decade mark on October 1, 2001, the Company is celebrating a number of achievements, including the expansion of its resort collection through the proposed addition of the new resort at Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course and the completion of Disney's Beach Club Villas, which is currently under construction at Walt Disney World Resort next to the popular Disney's Beach Club Resort (expected opening in September 2002).

"These latest expansions of our successful vacation ownership program will allow us to provide still more magical experiences for our guest and member families," added Aguel.

The current collection of Disney Vacation Club Resorts includes Disney's Old Key West Resort; Disney's BoardWalk Villas and The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge -- all located at the Walt Disney World Resort -- as well as Disney's first resorts beyond the Disney theme park locations; Disney's Vero Beach Resort on Florida's Atlantic Coast and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.

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Disney Ready To Build 600-unit Time Share

July 24, 2001 | Orlando Sentinel

Fast running out of inventory, Disney said Monday it will build a new flagship-style time-share resort between the Magic Kingdom and Downtown Disney.

The 600-unit resort, which has not been named, will be Disney's first full-scale time-share offering since its Old Key West Resort sold out in late 2000. The new resort will sit on 61 acres adjacent to Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course.

As with other time-share projects, this one will be built in phases, beginning with six buildings and 360 units. The first two buildings will open in mid-2004, followed by the others throughout the year.

Taking its theme from Florida's history, the property will feature tropical landscaping and architecture with Spanish, Moorish and Gothic influences.

"It adds a different flavor, a different atmosphere to our portfolio," said Mariska Elia, spokeswoman for Disney Vacation Club, the company's time-share arm.

This will be Disney's seventh time share -- giving the company 2,100 units at completion -- but it will be the second local property that functions as a stand-alone resort. The others, including The Villas at Disney's Wilderness Lodge, are smaller resorts that share amenities and facilities with Disney hotels.

The Wilderness Lodge property and Disney's Beach Club Villas -- a smaller resort now under construction -- are expected to be sold out around the time this newest resort opens.

"We really need a big project," Elia said. "This is another anchor property with a lot of inventory."

Disney also owns two resorts outside of Orlando: Disney's Vero Beach Resort and Disney's Hilton Head Island Resort in South Carolina.

Here is a view of Disney's Golden Oak and the Four Seasons resort.

I outlined in red the location of where the Eagle Pines DVC resort was planned to be built.

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DVC CELEBRATES 10TH ANNIVERSARY

Celebration, Fla.
December 20, 2001

October 7, 1991 - DVC Preview Center opens to the public, MS begins accepting reservations, first 5 information kiosks open.

December 20, 1991 - 1st phase of DVC Resort (now OKW) opens. Preview Center is renamed Commodore House

January 1992 - 1st edition of Vacation Magic (DVC Member magazine)

May 1992 - Sharing the Magic referral progam launches. # of member families: 2,300

June 1992 - Select WDW resort exchanges added as options.

December 1992 - 1st DVC Condo Associaton meeting held

January 1993 - DLR and DLP resort options added as options.

November 1993 - 1st international member event held in London.

December 1993 - Number of member families: 8,000

April 1994 - Number of member families: 9,400

June 1994 - All planned phases of the Disney Vacation Club Resort completed and opened to members and guests.

October 1994 - Pre-sale of VB begins

December 26, 1994 - Ground breaking for HH

January 1995 - Member update sessions begin at Disney Vacation CLub Resort

March 1995 - 150 point Vacation Point Membership package introduced. HH preview center opens.

April 1995 - Adventure Travel and Cruise Member Getaways exchange programs debut.

October 1995 - VB opens, number of member families: 16,000. Disney Vacation Club Resort officially renamed Disney's Old Key West Resort.

January 1996 - Disney Discovery Club (2Dc) launches as an edu-taining experience for children at DVC reorts.

March 6, 1996 - HH opens

July 1, 1996 - BWV opens, DVC sales center opens at BWV

November 1996 - Concierge Collection is added to member getaway program.

June 1997 - DCL added as vacaton exchange option.

October 1997 - Number of member families: 25,000. DVC commemorates 25th Anniversary of WDW with daily celebrations at Commodore House

June 1998 - Shadow the dog is introduced at HH.

July 1998 - Commodore House is closed to add 34 new vacation homes at OKW (buildings 62,63,64)

December 1998 - 3 DVC resorts are named by readers of Conde Nast Traveler to it's prestigious Gold List - BWV, VB and HH

April 15, 1999 - Ground breaking for VWL.

November 1999 - Final 3 bulidings at OKW open for members and guests.

October 2000 - VB celebrates 5th Anniversary. Ground breaking for BCV

March 2001 - HH celebrates 5th Anniversary

July 2001 - BWV celebrates 5th Anniversary. DVC announces plans for 600 unit propposed resort at Eagles Pines Golf Course.

September 2001 - New Annual Member Guidebook debuts (replaces original 3 ring binder)

October 2001 - DVC celebrates 10 Years of Memories, Dreams and You!

December 20, 2001 - OKW celebrates 10th Anniversary.

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Disney Decides Vacation -- Not Education -- Is Hot

Disney Will Tear Down Part Of Its Education-oriented Disney Institute And Build Time Shares

January 25, 2002 | Orlando Sentinel
Walt Disney World plans to demolish about one-fourth of its troubled Disney Institute resort and build 192 new time-share units there.

The Disney Institute opened more than five years ago but has been largely shuttered of late because attendance has declined.

But Disney's "Vacation Club" time-share apartments are hot sellers. Customers, mostly with families, plunk down between $11,000 and $150,000 for the right to stay at various Disney resorts, including the time-share units themselves, for periods ranging from one week to more than a month annually.

Construction on the new time-share apartments that will displace part of Disney Institute will start in the spring, said George Aguel, senior vice president of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. The new resort, scheduled to open in 2004, doesn't yet have a name. "We're still working on a theme," Aguel said.

Located near the Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island entertainment-dining areas, the new time shares are evidence that the strategy of selling resort units is more viable than opening more hotel rooms. Last year, Disney World indefinitely delayed the planned opening of its huge Pop Century hotel and closed its Port Orleans resort.

In sharp contrast, the 536 Vacation Club rooms that opened in 1996 in Disney World's Boardwalk Villas are nearly sold out, Aguel said.

Another Disney World time share, Beach Club Villas, is scheduled to open this summer, he said. Pre-opening sales are to begin in February.

Disney Institute rooms were priced from $200 to $500 a night. Disney officials have previously said that the cutbacks at Disney Institute are partly a result of the post-Sept. 11 travel slowdown. Disney World has almost 22,000 hotel rooms and about 2,000 time-share units.

Ensconced in a leafy area bordering a golf course, Disney Institute derived its name from the educational entertainment concept on which it was founded.

The brainchild of Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner, it began as a resort that combined vacations with the study of personal-enrichment pursuits such as gardening and the arts.

But the hotel, which housed such famous guests as President Clinton, failed to achieve the kind of success Disney management expected.

Founded in a year of record crowds at Walt Disney World, Disney Institute now often has a deserted look. After initially catering to tourists seeking a different Disney experience, the focus later shifted to business travelers and corporate groups.

Although the resort remains partly open, most of its 800 employees have been transferred to other jobs in various parts of Disney World's hotels and theme parks.

Will new time shares eventually displace the rest of Disney Institute, with the initial 192 units being just a first phase? Aguel deflected that question. "You really make those plans based on demand, once you get into the sales process."

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Disney Unveils Time-share Plans

The Saratoga Springs Resort Spa -- Set To Open In 2004.
-- Will Replace The Disney Institute, The Now-defunct Educational Resort.
About 480 Time-share Units Are Planned For The Site.

September 14, 2002 | Orlando Sentinel

The defunct Disney Institute is being reinvented as a turn-of-the-century time-share complex called the Saratoga Springs Resort Spa that will open in 2004.

Saratoga Springs, already under construction, is being modeled after its namesake, the getaway town in the early 1900s for the affluent in eastern New York best known for its mineral springs.

For example, the pool area at the resort will be designed without the usual Disneyesque water slides -- focusing instead on a natural spring look with bubbles foaming up among rocks.

The resort will include 184 new units and about 300 remodeled apartment-style rooms in older buildings that were part of the Disney Institute.

The campus-style buildings that contain the older rooms may also be enhanced to reflect the upstate New York theme, said Mariska Elia, a spokeswoman for Disney's time-share operation, called Vacation Club.

Saratoga Springs will be the latest addition to Disney's Vacation Club time-share apartments, which are hot sellers. Disney World already has about 2,000 time-share units along with its 22,000 hotel rooms.

Elia said the older section of the complex, the former Disney Institute, may also be converted to time shares.

Prices to purchase one week in the new section of Saratoga will range from $12,000 to $150,000 for rooms and suites that sleep up to 12 guests each. Aside from the pool, the 16-acre facility will have a playground and barbecue pavilion.

Ensconced in a leafy area bordering a golf course, Disney Institute opened more than five years ago but was largely closed during the travel slump that began after Sept. 11, 2001. The institute derived its name from the educational entertainment concept on which it was founded.

The brainchild of Walt Disney Co. Chairman Michael Eisner, it began as a resort that combined vacations with the study of personal-enrichment pursuits such as cooking, gardening and the arts.

But the hotel, which housed such famous guests as President Clinton, failed to achieve the kind of success Disney management expected.

Founded during a year of record crowds at Walt Disney World, the Institute had faded by last year into a largely deserted area. After initially catering to tourists seeking a different Disney experience, the focus later shifted to business travelers and corporate groups.

Although a few rooms at the former institute remain open, most of its 800 employees have been transferred to other jobs in various parts of Disney World's hotels and theme parks.

Walt Disney World still offers a variety of business seminars for groups at various Disney World resorts through a mobile Disney Institute program, which has 45 employees.

"Having a facility was nice, but there were constraints to that," said Larry Lynch, director of the institute business.

One drawback of the old site was that potential clients -- often large companies -- viewed the campus as too small. He said the institute held its largest gathering -- 1,200 people -- for a seminar on leadership and customer service last month at the Grand Floridian resort.

"That's bigger than anything we had in our own buildings," Lynch said.

Located near the Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island entertainment-dining areas, the new time shares are evidence that the strategy of selling resort units is more viable than opening more hotel rooms.

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SSR UNDER CONSTRUCTION

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A look back at how SSR came to be (1 of 4)

Was the opening of the Disney Vacation Club the first appearance of villas-style accommodations at Walt Disney World?

No.

For those of you who were unaware, there were vacation villas for years on the land where Saratoga Springs Resort now sits.

Disney had planned on building a residential community called "Lake Buena Vista" which would have homes, recreation and shopping. Lake Buena Vista would encompass four themed communities, a Golf, Tennis, Boating and Western community. Each of the four communities would have their own town homes.

In June of 1973, plans were announced for a residential community to be called Lake Buena Vista.

However, Disney realized that if a municipality were incorporated, it would require the residents who lived in Lake Buena Vista to have voting rights. This would create a problem as they would be able to vote on any further construction on resort property and taxation issues would arise. So, while Disney moved forward, the facilities would be used by vacationers and not for permanent residents.

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A look back at how SSR came to be (2 of 4)

By May of 1974, a total of 133 town homes had been constructed and a shopping center called the Lake Buena Vista Village was being built. In October of 1975, 60 Treehouse Villas were completed. At the same time the Lake Buena Vista town homes were being built, the Lake Buena Vista Golf Course was being built simultaneously.

From a 1974 Disney World publication: "A limited number of one- and two-bedroom villas, fully furnished and complete with linens and kitchenware, are available to families visiting the Vacation Kingdom for short-term rentals."

From a 1976 Disney World publication: “For larger families and groups, the spacious one- and two-bedroom Villas provide plenty of room. Each is elegantly furnished and includes all the conveniences – kitchenware, color television, linens and daily housekeeping service. In addition, [Vacation Villa] guests receive complimentary motor coach transportation to the Magic Kingdom and the Walt Disney World Resorts.”

From 1976 through 1978, Disney added more villas.

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