This is Part II of our insider look at Disney timeshare in Hawaii. See yesterday’s The Timeshare Authority blog for “Sneak Peak at Disney Timeshare in Hawaii (Part I)”

COURTESY WALT DISNEY PARKS & RESORTS

Once again, our thanks to Mary Kraemer, blog writer at Mouse Planet, for her updates on the new Disney timeshare resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii, known as the Aulani.

Disney Finesse for this Hawaii Timeshare

As if just being on a beautiful Hawaii island isn’t enough, Disney has a lot of fun features underway at the Aulani Hawaii Disney timeshare.

Besides its location on a beautiful strip of beach, the twenty-plus acres of the Disney Aulani timeshare will offer a water play area of typical Disney-esque magnitude. There will be a slide, an adventure river and the Waikolohe Pool and Stream, which is positioned between two of the Disney Vacation Club buildings.

For the less adventurous, there’s the Wailana, which is a relaxing tranquility pool. And for children, there will be the Menehune Bridge and Trail water play area. Menehune means “little folk” in Hawaiian and references a legendary race of tiny people who were said to once inhabit the islands accomplishing remarkable feats and magical efforts.

But you can’t spend your entire Hawaii timeshare vacation in the water, no matter how entertaining the setting. The Aulani Resort will offer an 18,000 square-foot spa, an 8,000 square-foot convention center and a wedding lawn.

According to the linguists at Disney Vacation Club, the word, aulani means “the place that speaks for the great ones” or “the place that speaks with deep messages.” The message here seems to be clear: expect a lot from the Aulani Hawaii timeshare; Disney plans to deliver their best.

Updates from The Timeshare Authority Blog on Disney Hawaii Timeshare:

• Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Moving Forward with New Hawaii Timeshare
• Disney Timeshare in Hawaii, But Where’s Space Mountain?

Thanks to Mary Kraemer, blog writer at Mouse Planet, for this eyewitness update. Mary and her husband recently toured the model units for the new Disney timeshare resort in Ko Olina, Hawaii: the Aulani. As this will be Disney’s first Hawaii timeshare, excitement is already high and based on Mary’s description, there’s every reason it should be.

Describing the new Hawaii timeshare as “huge” Mary explains that it seems to dwarf the neighboring properties, with 359 hotel rooms, (16 of which are suites) and 460 Disney Vacation Club timeshare villas (with 21 oceanfront Grand Villas). Tomorrow’s The Timeshare Authority blog will look at the on-property features, but today, let’s look at what you will find inside your timeshare unit as a member of the Disney Vacation Club.

Features of Disney’s New Aulani Hawaii Timeshare

The units themselves are similar in footprint to other Disney timeshare properties. Studio timeshares include a sink, small refrigerator, microwave and coffeemaker in the kitchenette and a queen bed and sleeper sofa in the sitting and sleeping areas. A flat panel television and DVD player is built into the dresser area and a table with chairs provides seating for two. These studio timeshare units are designed to accommodate up to four people comfortably.

One-bedroom timeshare units at the Aulani Disney timeshare will sleep up to five people or when used in combination with a studio unit, up to 9 people. One-bedroom units offer a living room with sleeper sofa that the author points out, (same sleeper in in all units) is uniquely comfortable because it lacks the mid-back metal bar usually found in pull-out couches.

The one-bedroom timeshare units also feature a Murphy-style bed, a full kitchen, dining area with banquette seating, and a stacked washer and dryer. The bedroom has a king bed, private bath with whirlpool tub, and a rainfall showerhead in the separate shower.

All of the new Aulani Hawaii timeshare units include a private balcony and an island-themed décor, complete with lots of “hidden Mickeys” (you know, those Mickey Mouse outlines that Disney carefully hides in unexpected places.)

Hawaii Welcomes Disney Timeshare

This new timeshare resort reflects both confidence in the Hawaii tourism market and Disney’s interest in building resorts and timeshares in venues that don’t include one of their theme parks. And although the Aulani won’t offer a full theme park, you can be certain that Disney has plenty of activities and entertainment planned for the resort. Check Saturday’s The Timeshare Authority blog, where we’ll look at what you can expect at this beautiful new resort.

More News from The Timeshare Authority Blog on Disney Hawaii Timeshare:

• Disney Hawaii Timeshare and What It Really Means
• Will You Be Spending Holidays at a Disney Hawaii Timeshare?
• Hawaii Timeshare Expansion Means Good News for the Local Economy
• Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Makes for Optimism in Ko Olina

NASA held its first Information Technology Summit last week, bringing together thought leaders from government and industry with the purpose of showcasing the best in private and public IT innovations. Of course, such a summit calls for representation from the Walt Disney Company.

At the summit, Jack Blitch, vice president of attractions and development for Walt Disney Imagineering shares some special insights into the fun we can all expect from Disney parks in the future and our upcoming Disney timeshare vacations.

The video clip below is from CSPAN, and gives you a rarely seen look at 3-D models of “Under the Sea: Journey of the Little Mermaid” and the entire Beauty and the Beast section. While it is 1 hour and 50+ minutes in length, there are many interesting points about the Disney process and development as well as some updates on Disney Vacation Club properties you will want to catch if you are a Disney timeshare owner, or even just a Disney aficionado.

Watch this video and:

• Learn how during the renovation of the Disney Tree Houses, the new units were actually dropped into place from above, to ensure that the tree canopy was undisturbed.
• Find out about the expansion of the world’s only water rollercoaster on the Disney Cruise lines.
• See how Disney has undertaken its largest single expansion project ever by doubling the size of Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom in Orlando.

In June, The Timeshare Authority updated you on the new pet resort opening at Orlando’s Walt Disney World. (See: Disney Offers Pet Resort with Special Pricing for Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Owners). Pet-friendly timeshares and pet boarding accommodations are important to travelers. According to the 2009-2010 National Pet Owners Survey conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association there are 77.5 million dog owners in the US alone, accounting for 39 percent of all American households.

For most pet owners, Fido or Fluffy is a beloved family member who creates a conundrum when it comes time for travel or a timeshare vacation. Do you plan your vacations only at pet-friendly timeshares? Do you board your pet, hire a pet sitter or maybe even stay home because you can’t come up with an acceptable solution?

Orlando’s Disney World Resort is making it easier than ever to enjoy a guilt-free vacation, fully confident that your pet is nearby and is receiving the very best of care. And for Disney timeshare owners, members of the Disney Vacation Club, the solution is especially sweet as they receive special discounts.

Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Members Receive Discounts

Disney’s new Best Friends Pet Resort will be able to accommodate up to 270 dogs, 30 cats, and other animals including hamsters, guinea pigs, birds, and potbellied pigs. Not accepted for boarding will be snakes, lizards and turtles. Here are few of the tail-wagging details to update you on just how very ‘luxurious’ these accommodations for your pet really are.

Add-on pet services, in addition to outdoor playtime are available, including doggy playgroups, Frisbee or ball play, walking trails, a water park area, and snuggling for your dog while someone reads stories aloud—like a bedtime story being read to the family dog. Dogs also have the option, for a fee, to view movies or to vacation in one of the 226-square foot luxury suites that feature a private play yard and a personal pet concierge. Upgrades for felines include two and four-story kitty condos.

While basic pricing starts at $37 nightly, Disney timeshare owners receive discounts as part of their membership benefits in the Disney Vacation Club.

Yes, the lines to the most popular attractions at Disney World’s theme parks in Orlando can be long, but experienced park-goers will tell you there are some ways to improve your park experience—including one strategy that you can only take advantage of if, you are staying in a Disney hotel or Disney Vacation Club timeshare.

1. When you enter a theme park in the morning hours, whether it is Animal Kingdom, the Magic Kingdom, Epcot, or Disney’s Hollywood Studios, consider covering the park’s attractions in a clockwise pattern. In other words, when you go into the theme park, turn left. In North America, most people instinctively make a right turn into a theme park, even though all of the Disney parks are laid out in what is roughly a circular pattern and are equally enjoyable whether explored in a clockwise or a counterclockwise pattern. Go against the flow, and you will be ahead of the lines for at least 50 percent of your day.
2. Visit the most popular attractions during the times shows, parades, or even the fireworks are scheduled.
3. Take advantage of the single rider lines. The Rock ‘n Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom; and Test Track at Epcot all offer the single rider line. In this line, you and your party can wait in line together, but as single seats become available, you will be individually seated. You will all get onboard faster, just be sure you plan a place to meet and regroup after you individual finish the ride.
4. During selected seasons, on-property guests, which include anyone staying at a Disney Vacation Club timeshare, have access to extra park hours either before or after the park’s regular hours. This means that temperatures are usually cooler and lines are definitely shorter. You will need a valid theme park admission and your Walt Disney World Resort ID in order to take advantage of the extra hours in the park, which can be as long as one hour early in the morning and up to three hours extra in the evening.
5. Take advantage of FastPass… it really works! Go to your favorite rides early in the day, use your park admission ticket and obtain a FastPass. The FastPass will tell you at what time later in the day to return to the attraction for immediate boarding. Note that everyone in your part will need his or her own FastPass, but they are free and available to all park goers.

Enjoying the Disney World theme parks is on the to-do list for almost everyone who vacations in the Orlando area, but most people’s idea of fun does not include standing in long lines in the hot sun. Study a park map before you begin your day, and then take advantage of these five effective tips. You and your family want to spend the maximum amount of time oohing, ahhing, shrieking in delight, or just plain belly laughing during your Orlando timeshare vacation and a little preplanning can go a long way to making this happen.

In July 4 post for The Timeshare Authority, we talked about Disney’s new Hawaii timeshare resort, Aulani, a mixed-use property that offers both hotel and timeshare accommodations.

Disney is already selling timeshares at the Aulani, and as of last week, already taking reservations. But it is interesting to look at what Disney’s venture into Hawaii timeshare really means to the Disney brand and the Hawaii tourist market.

Typically, Disney builds resort properties at or near its parks. But as Michael Corty, a Morningstar Inc. stock analyst who specializes in the Walt Disney Co., told the Orlando Sentinel, “It’ll be a test to see if their brand can extend … outside of their traditional business.”

All of the current Disney Vacation Club timeshare properties are located at a major Disney theme park except Disney’s Hilton Head Island Resort located in South Carolina and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, which is roughly an hour’s drive from the Disney Orlando parks. Both of these resorts benefit from their beachside locations, with the Vero Beach Resort timeshare also being portside where the Disney cruise lines docks. Yet neither of these popular timeshare resorts are as grand scale (or as costly) as is Disney’s undertaking in Hawaii, the Aulani.

The Aulani Resort will include water slides, a salt water lagoon for snorkeling, a lazy river, two restaurants and a spa. In building this Disney timeshare and resort, the company is looking for a strong market of guests and timeshare owners from Japan. It will also need enthusiasm from timeshare buyers (noting that Hawaii is one of the most requested timeshare exchange locations by current Disney timeshare owners) and support from the market of vacationers at large, most of whom only plan theme park vacations approximately once every 5 to 8 years.

Source: The Daily Disney

I don’t know where you will be viewing fireworks tonight but in the future you could be watching them from America’s fiftieth state during a Disney Hawaii timeshare vacation. Knowing the great job the pyrotechnicians at Disney do year round, one has to expect that the new Disney timeshare at the Ko Olina resort will be no exception when it comes to red-white-and boom!

The Aulani Hotel and Disney Vacation Club resort, currently under construction in Ko Olina, Hawaii, will begin taking reservations on August 2, even though the property isn’t scheduled to open until late August 2011. And as of this past week, prospective timeshare owners can purchase Disney Vacation Club timeshare at the Anlani—Disney’s first property in Hawaii.

Although there will be no theme park at the resort, the 800-unit property will have pools and a waterplay area, a children’s club, and a convention center. And while there is nothing in writing to confirm it, it is a safe bet that come July 4, the Anani will showcase the top-notch fireworks we all associate with the magic and memory makers at Disney.

Past The Timeshare Authority news on Disney Hawaii timeshare:
Disney Vacation Club Timeshare Makes for Optimism in Ko Olina
Tokyo’s Getting a Look at Disney Timeshare

Effective last week, the Walt Disney World Resort (Orlando) began accepting reservations for a new luxury pet resort scheduled to open this summer. The 50,000 square-foot facility is called Best Friends Pet Resort and is described by Disney as a “best of breed” pet resort, with air-conditioned, VIP suites and private outdoor play yards for your pet.

Disney has offered pet boarding for many years but this announcement indicates that their services are being taken to a new level. Their boarding service includes up to two meals per day and two scheduled daily walks. You can choose to add other services such as an extra walk ($5 add on charge), cuddle time ($5 add on charge), or an ice cream break ($4 add on charge). Other options include playgroups for dogs or special one-on-one play times, also available at à la carte pricing.

Discounted Rates for Timeshare Owners with Disney Vacation Club

Overnight rates for dogs start at $20 per night for pets of Disney Vacation Club members and go to $21 for dogs belonging to Disney resort guests and $23 for those of park visitors. For cats and other small animals, the Disney Vacation Club member price is $13 per night and ranges up to $18 for the pets of park guests.

Disney Vacation Club currently does not offer pet-friendly timeshares, which makes the pet resort an especially important feature for pet owners planning a Disney timeshare vacation.

Here are two timeshare resorts in the Disney area that you might be interested in for timeshare resale and timeshare rentals that ARE pet friendly:

• Celebration World Resort – Kissimmee, Florida
• Summerfield Condo Resort – Kissimmee, Florida

And for some really good tips on traveling with your pet, click here to see this article from Smarter Travel.

Posted on the Disney Vacation Club website you will find a warning to everyone who may have received a letter saying that they have won a “Travel Passport Cash Giveaway. The letter, according to Disney Vacation Club timeshare, is fraudulent.

Not only are some people receiving letters, but many are receiving telephone calls as well from an individual who represents him or herself to be a Disney Vacation Club Cast Member (Cast Member being the term the Disney Parks use for all of their employees).

The Disney Vacation Club advises those who receive the letter or the phone call to report it to their State Attorney General and to the Federal Trade Commission. As an added control measure, Disney Vacation Club timeshare is recommending that any timeshare owner or vacationer who receives a phone call from a Disney employee to validate the authenticity of the call and to refrain from giving out any personal or financial information until the caller’s identity is confirmed. The number to call to verify an employee of Disney is 888-727-4880.

Difficult times seem to give rise to more scammers in every industry. Be smart, play it safe and be wary about the information you share with anyone, whether it is by phone, email, or postal mail.
The link for more information on the Disney Vacation Club timeshare website is located near the bottom of the page and asks you to click-through to a pop-up page. You must have pop-ups enabled in order to read the full text of the warning. http://dvc.disney.go.com/dvc

And to learn more about safe, reliable opportunities to buy Disney Vacation Club timeshare resales or rent Disney Vacation Club timeshare, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW.

Shell Vacations Club timeshares, owner or operator of 23 timeshare resorts in the US, Canada, and Mexico, announces new leadership in three key corporate positions.

Karen Buttice has been selected to lead Shell Vacations Club’s programs that provide extensive fee-based services for resorts, condos, hotels, and timeshare owners associations. Her role specifically includes oversight of Direct Member Affiliate Programs; hospitality and association management; employee certification programs; timeshare rental; distribution of unused inventory; a comprehensive travel program; and sales and marketing services.

Buttice explains, “After decades of leadership in the vacation ownership industry and proven success with our points-based Shell Vacations Club (wwwShellVacationsClub.com), we have recognized a growing opportunity for others to benefit from our expertise and are actively pursuing growth by providing these fee-based services. This is an ideal way to expand our business by leveraging our services and management expertise. We believe the expansion of our fee-based services model validates our commitment to these strategic initiatives. We have received so many calls regarding our expertise in these areas; this is a natural extension of our business. It is exciting to formalize a program that will enable others to share in the facets of our business that have made us successful.”

Ilese Flamm has been appointed by Shell Vacations LLC as Senior VP of Legal Affairs. Flamm has 18 years as a legal professional in the timeshare industry and before joining Shell Vacations, was the Executive VP and General Counsel for Wyndham Exchange & Rentals. She has also been Senior Attorney for the Disney Vacation Club, where she was involved in all aspects of timeshares and timeshare resort development.

Bernard Freibaum is a new-hire at Shell Vacations LLC, recently appointed as the company’s Chief Financial Officer. Freibaum will work with Sheldon H Ginsburg, Shell Vacations Chairman and CEO and with Tracy L Sherles, the company’s President and COO, focusing on new growth opportunities for the company and on enhancing business operations within Sell Vacation Club’s many divisions.

Founded in 1963, Shell Vacations has been a leader in the timeshare industry, remaining popular with timeshare owners and timeshare renters. Responding to consumer preferences, in 1999, the timeshare company introduced a timeshare points based system designed to give timeshare owners greater flexibility in the ways they use and enjoy timeshare.