Towards the end of every year Disney Vacation Club (DVC) hosts an Annual Condominium Association Meeting. This meeting is open for DVC Members to attend and covers upcoming news and information on things like budget updates. We have attended one meeting several years ago, and Julie decided to attend the one this year as well. Being in the middle of the weekday, and on location in Orlando it can be hard for most members to attend, but there is a recording made available for anyone who wants to watch from afar. Read on to learn more about attending this annual event and for all the updates from this year’s meeting.
The 2021 DVC Meeting Location
This year’s meeting was held at the Contemporary Resort Convention Center in the Fantasia Ballroom. (Which made for a nice excuse for Julie to grab a quick lunch at the Contempo Cafe too!) Due to limited parking on this day, attendees had to park at the Magic Kingdom parking lot and be bussed over to the resort area. Pre-registration online was required and when checking in everyone received a name tag.
A bus marked with a DVC sign.
Members entering the convention center.
A view of the Contemporary Resort.
Julie’s name tag for the meeting.
The Fantasia Ballroom was set for the meeting. Chairs were somewhat spaced out due to Covid, and screens spanned the width of the room so everyone could see. It was neat that some decoration was added to feel more special such as castle turrets, blue accent lighting, and 50th Anniversary decorations.
Highlights from the 2021 DVC Meeting
Welcome
The meeting kicked off with a surprise visit from two special guests: Mickey and Minnie! Dressed in their special 50th Anniversary attire they came out to say hello to everyone, which was a fun way to start the day.
DVC Related News
Senior Vice President & General Manager, Bill Diercksen announced the following:
A new Member Feedback tool is available on the site.
New Villas are coming to the Grand Floridian Resort summer of 2022.
A new DVC tower is coming to Disneyland Resort in California which is projected to open in 2023
Vice President of Member Experiences, Shannon Sakaske spoke about:
New vacation adventures available soon:
Member Cruise on the Disney Wish
Alaskan Member Cruise
National Geographic Expeditions
Galactic Starcruiser
Exchange partner RCI will be changing to Interval International
She also mentioned some Membership Magic events that had happened throughout the year:
Movie screenings
Intimate Delicious Disney book event
DVC previews for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure ride (which we had participated in).
Vice President of Resort Operations, Alison Armor shared:
New leadership updates across DVC resorts
Shared pictures of updates resorts:
1300 rooms Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa
Disney’s Old Key West Resort
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Shared 50th Anniversary enhancements across the resort such as
Decor, food and beverage selections (including Joffrey’s specialty blend coffee)
Ear-idescent scent
Activities like a Scavenger hunt and celebratory S’mores
Characters caravans at the resorts
New dining locations at DVC resorts
Steakhouse 71 at the Contemporary
Boardwalk Ice cream at Boardwalk
New DVC apparel & Merchandise
New technology upgrades:
WiFi updates
More connectivity with tv and phones
Disney+ content channel
“Hey Disney!” units in room which can do fun things like tell jokes, request towels, and tell a bedtime story
Refreshes coming next year for:
The Villas at Grand Floridain
Boulder Ridge Villas at Wilderness Lodge
DVC Budget Updates
Treasurer, Elizabeth Healy discussed items that have affected budget:
HHI hurricane loan paid off
GC impacted due to closure credit surplus
Enhanced cleaning increased costs
Transportation has resumed
Magical Express cost removed
Raised wages for Cast Members
Labor shortages and competitive driving higher wages
Property insurance negotiated better rates for beach locations
Removed voluntary development contribution
Reserve budget going towards refurb and better WiFi bandwidth
Property taxes have seen slight declines
See the following slides for dues increases for 2022…
Board of Directors Meeting
This meeting happens within the Annual Meeting. It isn’t so much that any decisions are made day of, but it is a part of the process for the board to formally go through these steps:
Declaration of Chair of the Meeting
Call to Order
Verification of Quorum & Proof of Notice
Approval of the Minutes
Budgets
Adjourn
Q&A
At the end of the presentation a small time was allotted for members to ask questions. It was only 10 minutes or so an not enough time to take everyone’s questions, and many were turned away back to their seats. It was stated that the short time was due to Covid, and many in the audience seemed to not like that answer. It was stated that if anyone wanted to reach out they could also write digitally using this link: disneyvacationclub.com/feedback
Reception? Not this year.
In previous years the meeting would commence and turn into a fun reception. The last time we attended we remember things like:
Refreshments like drinks and desserts
Character Photo Opportunities
Meeting the President 1 on 1
Mingle with other members
This year the reception was canceled due to Covid (understandably) but it did leave this year’s meeting not ending on the same note as it usually does. Hopefully future meetings will start to have this nice add-on again. As DVC members we think it is important to be up to date on what is happening and the attending the meeting is a neat opportunity. Have you every attended a DVC annual meeting? Maybe we will see you there next year!
