News and Notes from the Condo Association Meetings

The Disney Vacation Club recently decided to split the Annual Condo Association meetings into individual properties. So, owners at Disney’s Old Key West Resort attend that meeting, owners at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Villas attend that meeting, and so forth. 

While the meetings are definitely less crowded and more personal, you’re likely to miss a lot as a member. Even when you attend these events, you’re unlikely to own at most resorts. If you did, you’d still struggle to fit all the conversations into your schedule. 

So, I’ve compiled news and notes from the various annual meetings this year. Note that much of it is up for debate, as transparency isn’t always best for business at Disney. 

Why Your Dues Are More Expensive 

Let’s start with a sticking point among many members. DVC is using these meetings to confirm the Annual Dues for the upcoming year, and owners have noticed that they’re higher. As you might imagine, attendants pressed Disney officials for explanations.

Some of the responses were decidedly granular, while others seemed almost stubbornly vague. Still, one explanation completely tracks. Disney is once again suing Orange County, Florida, over its property appraisal values…again.

You may have heard that Disney won a lawsuit last year over this topic. This year’s appraisals have come in higher, and a couple of them are genuinely odd. For example, the long-closed Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser building, currently being repurposed into office space, is allegedly worth $38,267,586. 

When Disney properties pay more in taxes for their appraisals, DVC members apparently foot some of the bill. So, you at least partially have Orange County’s tax appraisals to blame for some of these increases. 

Some other relatively arcane factors come into play as well. DVC officials detailed how shorter DVC hotel stays cause an increase in prices. Specifically, when guests spend fewer days at the resort, Disney must clean more often. So, the cleaning bill increases, and that fee is another that DVC passes along to us. 

Several DVC members brought up a lack of transparency in the paperwork, which frankly shocked me. Whenever my wife and I get those notices, we’re blown away by how detailed they are. Well, we’re apparently in the minority here, as some members dutifully go line by line to identify ways DVC could save money on our Annual Dues.

Old Key West Will Have a Detailed Refurbishment 

Disney’s Old Key West Resort

I apologize for being a bit overdue with the quarterly refurbishment update. With so much in flux, I was waiting for the annual meeting for a bit of clarity. Now I’m glad I did because DVC surprised owners for the second time in two days.

On Tuesday, we learned that The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Resort & Spa will undergo a second phase of Hard Goods refurbishment. Apparently, the first one wasn’t quite up to snuff, at least by Disney’s standards. 

Now, we’ve found out that Disney’s Old Key West Resort will take a slightly different approach. Even though the schedule calls for a Soft Goods refurbishment, DVC is planning a mini-Hard Goods one instead. What does that mean exactly?

Well, a Soft Goods refurb is typically modest in scope. DVC re-does the carpet, drapes, upholstery, and that sort of thing. As I always say, a Hard Goods refurb basically involves stripping a room to the screws. A lot of in-room demolition is involved. 

At Old Key West, we’ll apparently get a “semi-Hard Goods” refurb, one that blurs the lines between the two norms. Unfortunately, I cannot go into greater detail because DVC itself isn’t at that stage yet. According to officials, they’re still debating what this refurb will include. 

Personally, I’m excited by this announcement, though. I like the idea of DVC doing a bit more with its Soft Goods updates to enhance the rooms. Hopefully, this strategy becomes the norm. 

Miscellaneous Tidbits 

Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge

The subject of walking reservations came up a couple of times, and I’ll level with you. I’m out of my depth on this one. While I’m aware of the practice, I don’t understand it enough to explain it well. 

What I do know is that some members bristle at its existence and want the practice ended. For its part, Disney indicated that it’s investigating solutions, which is pretty much what it said last year and the year before that. So, I’m presuming the status quo in the short term. 

At Old Key West and Animal Kingdom, owners understandably asked about a Disney Skyliner expansion. It’s an open secret that plans exist for new gondola stations beyond the existing ones. Animal Kingdom especially makes sense, given the distance of this park from the other theme parks. 

Sadly, DVC officials shut down this possibility in the short term. If plans are occurring somewhere at Disney, they’re clearly unaware of it. So, for those of you hoping for this, your next big hope will be at the 2026 D23 Expo in August. If Disney doesn’t announce anything then, it’ll probably be at least another two years before this gets considered. While we’re talking about it, I’ll add that the Anaheim gondola proposal is sadly looking grim, too. Sorry. 

Finally, I’ll toss in one hot-button issue among DVC members. During the meeting for The Villas at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, owners expressed frustration with The Perch, the new bar in the hotel lobby. 

DVC officials are non-committal on this one, and I get it. I know from social media that many people consider it a blight. However, to understand Disney’s perspective, I invite you to watch livestreams from the hotel lobby. You can’t help but notice that there’s never an open chair at the bar. As long as it’s selling overpriced drinks to a full bar of customers, it’s not going anywhere. That’s just math. (Confession: I don’t like it, either.)