Disney Vacation Club Timeshare

We’ve written about this in the past at The Timeshare Authority, but it’s such a fun story that we wanted to bring it to our readers’ attention again this year.

Last week a crowd watched excitedly as 161 sea turtles hatched on the shores of Disney‘s Vero Beach Resort. After two long and anticipated months, both guests and Disney cast members happily welcomed the baby loggerhead turtles with open hearts.
The mother of the hatchlings, Claire, is sponsored by Disney’s Animal Program and Disney’s Vero Beach Resort. In a true Disney fashion, she was named after the character in the Disney Pixar film Monster’s University.

“Sea turtles face monstrous challenges throughout their lifetime, but all of us can help” says Anne Savage, the Conservation Director for Disney’s Animal Programs.

Disney’s Tour de Turtles

Claire is also a member of the “Tour de Turtles”, which is sponsored by the Vero Beach Resort, as well as Disney’s Wildlife Program and Worldwide Conservation Fund. The program was created to learn more about the nesting habits of sea turtles, while raising awareness about threats to turtles in the wild. Each turtle in this program has been outfitted with satellite transmitters to track their travel patterns.

DVC’s Vero Beach Resort patiently awaits the arrival of two additional hatchling nests. Carrie, another member of the “Tour de Turtles” program (and likewise named after the character from “Monster’s University”) had also laid eggs on the beaches of the resort earlier this year. Lucky guests will be witness to two additional hatchings as Carrie came ashore twice during the nesting season, which spans from May to October.

About DVC’s Vero Beach Resort

Disney’s Vero Beach Resort, part of Disney Vacation Club, combines the magic of Disney with the flexibility of timeshare ownership. The resort is conveniently located about two hours away from Walt Disney World, allowing families to spend time in Orlando and then spend a relaxing week at the Vero Beach Resort. The beachfront timeshare offers a variety of accommodation from studios to three bedroom cottages the sleep up to 12 people.

Disney Vacation Club members (Disney timeshare) owners can take part in the Share Your Memories Pinterest challenge.

The Pinterest Prize Package includes:

• 4 Walt Disney World or Disneyland Resort Annual Passes
• a Disney VIP Tour Service experience,
• Autographed copies of “The Sherman Brothers Songbook” and “Dream it! Do It!” by Martin Sklar
• A Disney Vacation Club Gift Bag

You’ll find the first of three challenges explained on the Share Your Memories Disney Vacation Club Members site, but it’s all about sharing your ‘Dream Pin Board’ of the perfect Disney Vacation Club vacation on Pinterest.

To take part, you’ll need to register on the Disney Vacation Club owners site first, and then create a board on Pinterest. You have to return to the DVC site by 11:59 AM Eastern time on November 4, 2013, to submit the URL to your fantasy vacation pin board.

And what about the next two challenges? The Disney Vacation Club contest is really 3 contests, not just 1! The first requires entry and participation through Pinterest and started at 12:00 PM (noon) ET on September 16, 2013 and ends 11:59:59 AM ET on November 4, 2013.

The second contest is an Instagram Contest that starts 12:00 PM (noon) ET on November 4, 2013 and ends 11:59:59 AM ET on December 20, 2013.

The third contest is a Twitter Contest that starts 12:00 PM (noon) ET on December 20, 2013 and ends 11:59:59 AM ET on February 6, 2014.

Here are some of the Disney Vacation Club Members Contest ‘fine print’ you will want to know:

• No purchase is necessary to win and making a purchase of a DVC vacation will not increase your chance of winning.
• To be eligible, you must be a legal residents of 50 U.S./D.C., Puerto Rico and Canada (excluding Quebec). You must also be a  closed or pending member  of Disney Vacation Club, and you must be at least 18 years of age, or the age of majority in your  jurisdiction of residence, as of date of entry.
• A skill-testing question required if the winner is a Canadian resident .
• The retail value of the Pinterest Contest prize is between $4,551.00 USD / $4,785.60 CAD and $5,780.56 USD / $6,078.70 CAD, depending on options redeemed
• The retail value the Instagram Contest prize is between $3,821.00 USD / $4,016.36 CAD and $6,899.36 USD / $7,252.25 CAD, depending on options redeemed
• And finally, the average retail value of the Twitter Contest Period prize is between $2,596.00 USD / $2,729.41 CAD and $3,694.36 USD / $3,883.61 CAD, depending on options redeemed.

Like all contests, there are more rules like void where prohibited, and other details you will want to check out here: http://www.shareyourdvcmemories.com/en-us/Rules

And if you don’t happen to already be Disney Vacation Club member, you might want to consider the many options in Disney timeshare resales and Disney timeshare rentals.

How–and why– would the Scottish Government be involved in your or anyone else’s Disney vacations? It began with Merida, the engaging heroine of the Disney Pixar film, “Brave.” Michael Jenner, Parks Event  Content Development/Operations Manger at Walt Disney World explains, “The Scottish Government was so pleased by the Disney Pixar’s “Brave” they they approached us about what else we could do together.”

As a result, this year’s 18th Annual Epcot International Food & Wine Festival will feature, for the first time, a Scottish Marketplace. Jenner says, “We’re working together very closely to choose beverages and dishes that reflect Scotland’s rich culinary story.”

Epcot vacationers will be able to enjoy  a true taste of Scotland, including salmon, Banoffee Tart, and fine scotch. As a separate ticketed event, there will also be the  new marketplace, Scotland, Land of Food & Drinks, featuring foods, beverages, tasting stations, and entertainment.

To experience the tastes and sounds of Scotland, as well as that of many other cultures, you’ll need paid Epcot admission between September 27 and November 11. For other special events, a separate paid ticket and, in some cases reservations, are required. You can find out more about how to turn your Disney vacations into culinary experiences at EpcotFoodFestival.com

Tips for your Epcot International Food & Wine Festival Disney Vacations:

• Don’t schedule to eat before arriving at the park; plan instead to “Taste Your Way Around the World.”
• Remember that some experiences require reservations, such as many of the desert experiences, and the demonstrations and seminars.
• The “Eat to the Beat” Concert Series will feature popular musicians from the 70s, 80s, and 90s.
• You’ll find  wonderful  food and beverage products you will want to take home, along with cookbooks, memorabilia and artwork. Either save space in you luggage for all the goodies or plan to take advantage of the easy shipping services offered at the Disney parks.

Disney rumors are not always accurate, but so many resources reference this one, it leads you to believe that it is the next big news for DVC timeshare. Earlier this summer, Disney filed permits with the South Florida Water Management District (one of the state of Florida’s five legislatively created agencies for overseeing water management issues) and the permits describe “a rehabilitation project at the Polynesian Resort.”

The language of the permit states: “The work to be conducted on this site includes new parking, vehicular circulation, pedestrian pathways, utilities and fire access. It also includes the installation of pilings along the neighboring lagoon that will support future structures, redesigned landscaping and new amenity areas to serve the building expansions for this resort hotel.”

But this is where it gets difficult to sort out fact from fiction. Some sources have the additional DVC timeshare project as a big build out that even includes grand timeshare villas built out over the water of the lagoon, with private docks for each villa. Other rumors say the project has already been greatly scaled back (before it is even begun) and only will be a renovation of existing accommodations there and an upgrade of amenities.

Expansion of DVC timeshares at the Polynesian Village certainly makes sense in terms of Disney Vacation Club logic. The Polynesian Village, which was the first resort open at Disney World (beating out the Contemporary Resort on opening day by minutes) is part of iconic Disney culture and was said to be a favorite project of Walt himself. And almost all of the current easy-park-access resort properties at Walt Disney World (via monorail or boat) have a timeshare component.

Trader Sam’s Will Be Part of the Fun

One detail does look like a certainty and that is that Walt Disney World’s Polynesian Resort will be home to Disney’s future Trader Sam’s. Trader Sam’s Enchanted Tiki Bar has already found a home at the Disneyland Hotel (California). Immensely popular with Disneyland guests, Trader Sam’s is a classic tiki bar, with more charm and personality than it seems possible to pack into a single property.

You remember who Trader Sam is don’t you?

He’s the “(Shrunken) Head Salesman” you’ve known from your adventure’s on Disney’s Jungle Cruise. Profiled as a wheeler-dealer entrepreneur of the jungle, Trader Sam will make you a deal on anything in his eclectic collection, especially if you are interested in the purchase or trade of a few shrunken heads.

Supposedly, Trader Sam, with help from his friends at the Jungle Cruise Navigational Company, built and decorated his bar, rich with artifacts and bric-a-brac collected from his years as a jungle trader. True Disney fans can lose themselves exploring the minutiae of Disney history and pop culture details woven into the décor and story theme of Trader Sam’s. With a colorful drink menu, (all supposedly mixed from a base of “Sam’s Gorilla Grog”) and a menu of meal-worthy appetizers, Trader Sam’s will be a delightful addition to the Orlando park whether it winds up at the Polynesian Village or perhaps (as otherwise rumored) at Disney Springs.