While every other Disney podcast this week is talking about D23 and Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opening up at Hollywood Studios, I thought you may enjoy a break from the Disney news and get to know some industry insiders. Episode 033 was originally intended to be the History of DVC Resale Restrictions. I invited two former guides who were selling DVC during each of the restrictions to recap the history. However, the pre-show conversation was so interesting; I thought we should include the audience in the conversation and publish a more personal get to know Derek and Marissa's episode before tackling some of the deeper debates within the DVC community.

Derek and Marissa are currently working as guides with DVC Resale Market. Like all of the other guides at DVC Resale Market, they were once direct guides. Derek and Marissa recap their 10+ years of friendship on the show and provide a great insight into working for DVC, working on the cruise ships. A lot of members prefer buying DVC on the cruises. There's quite a bit of buzz in the DVC community that the cruise ships offer better discounts. In this episode, we take a quick trip backstage and talk with two former guides as they recap their history with DVC, Disney Cruise Line and their transition to DVC Resale Market.

Derek and Marissa are currently working as guides with DVC Resale Market. Like all of the other guides at DVC Resale Market, they were once direct guides. Derek and Marissa recap their 10+ years of friendship on the show and provide a great insight into working for DVC, working on the cruise ships. A lot of members prefer buying DVC on the cruises. There's quite a bit of buzz in the DVC community that the cruise ships offer better discounts. In this episode, we take a quick trip backstage and talk with two former guides as they recap their history with DVC, Disney Cruise Line and their transition to DVC Resale Market.

Meet Tim Krasniewski, owner of DVCNews.com. Home Resorts: Saratoga Springs and BoardWalk Villas. Tim shares his family's journey in DVC and the backstory behind DVCNews.com.

Tim has been a member of the Disney Vacation Club since 2003 when the family bought into Saratoga Springs Resort. He has turned his love of Disney and DVC into a business, as he owns and operates the DVCNews.com website.

Tim, who lives in the Midwest with his wife, a son, and a

daughter, first came to Walt Disney World during his honeymoon in 1997. Tim’s

wife likes to tell a story from when they stayed at Port Orleans French

Quarter: while on the bus to the resort, they passed the Disney Vacation Club

sign that is on Bonnet Creek Parkway near Old Key West. Tim’s wife said that

they should look into DVC, and Tim responded, “When we make our first million!”

He laughed and said they ended up purchasing despite not hitting that financial

milestone.

Tim says one of the most memorable parts of the honeymoon

trip was when he and his wife participated in the sea scene from the old

Backlot Tour at Hollywood Studios – Tim was the one who had gallons of water

dumped on him, for those who remember that attraction!

After the honeymoon trip, Tim and his family came to WDW in 2002, when his son was 18 months old, along with his parents. They rented points to get a two-bedroom villa at Old Key West. Five months later, they rented points again for a one-bedroom villa. After that, Tim and his wife went through the familiar process of making spreadsheets to determine whether it was worth buying into the Disney Vacation Club.

Tim and his wife decided to buy points at Saratoga Springs,

right when that resort became available. He was attracted to the resort by its

design and feel, along with its location in what is now the Disney Springs

area. He was thrilled to get his shares for $79 per point, locked in for 50

years. Most of the other resorts at the time had a contract length of only

around 40 years. Tim called the purchase a “no-brainer” due to the extra years

that he would have ownership. He remains happy with the decision, especially

with the expansion of the resort – including a stay at the exclusive Treehouse

Villas only a week after they opened.

Tim’s son was 2 years old and his daughter was 6 months old

when they joined DVC. The family later bought into the Boardwalk, as it’s a

resort that they all enjoy, and the standard rooms provide great value – just

be sure to book them 11 months out if you plan on visiting during a busy travel

period! Tim called the sitting area outside of the Ample Hills Creamery and

ESPN Zone his favorite place on property to unwind and enjoy a drink or dessert

after a busy day, and he says the Boardwalk is his favorite resort due to the

proximity of so many areas – Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the Yacht &

Beach Club. It will be interesting to see if that intimacy remains once the

Skyliner gondolas begin operation this fall.

Away from Walt Disney World, Tim bought points at the Grand Californian at Disneyland right when they went on sale. His family went on to use them with friends to rent two-bedroom villas for several years before selling the points for a tidy profit. Tim said this is one of his favorite resorts, especially due to the proximity to the back entrance of the California Adventure park, which provides a level of convenience that can’t be matched at WDW, as you can go from your room to being on an attraction in just a few minutes.

Tim purchased his points at Grand Californian at the right time,

as sales were slow at the beginning due to people in southern California not

being exactly sure what DVC was. The sale also began in the rough economic

period of 2008, and it came around the same time as the opening of Bay Lake

Tower at the Contemporary, which was a hot property due to its being the first

DVC at a Magic Kingdom-area resort. It has since exploded in popularity.

Aulani and the re

Meet Tim Krasniewski, owner of DVCNews.com. Home Resorts: Saratoga Springs and BoardWalk Villas. Tim shares his family's journey in DVC and the backstory behind DVCNews.com.

We pick up the conversation from episode 030 where Chris, Jeremy, and Adam present their armchair Imagineering resorts.

Room Design and LayoutTransportation OptionsResort Activities

Note Jeremy mentioned a picture; however, I was not able to determine a creative commons licenses existed for the photo so I didn't embed the photo.

Resort Element #4 – Room Design, Layout

#4 Chris Salata – Skyline Resort and Spa

You have to think opulence and leading-edge technological advancements that are somewhat hidden. Retractable charging cords. Wireless charging pads by the nightstands. Chris will add 5.1 surround sound in each room. Fabulous mattresses and 1000 count linens. Heated towel bars, steamer in the showers, wood and tile floors, couches that fold out into a very comfortable bed. The murphy bed will be full length. By DVC standards, the rooms will be absolutely huge. Larger than Old Key West rooms!

#4 Jeremy Murray – The Villian's Getaway

Total rooms: 1800 rooms in 3 themesCastle Rooms:  700 rooms (studio, 1BR, 2BR=1BR+studio) 10 Grand Villa (1BR+Studio+1BR). Half of the castle rooms are Club Level. The rooms are smart rooms. You access the smart room option through an oval mirror that fogs up and has a face that you talk to. The rooms have settings that range in various levels of “spooky” that you can set after your room is assigned to you. ALSO, there 5 random “escape-room” protocols built into to your room. You can turn on an escape room protocol and get clues and puzzles to solve the escape room. Your door isn’t actually locked during this. There are lights and timers over the door that is red, but turns green after you advance through the puzzles and “escape.”

Pirate rooms:  550 rooms (Studio, 1BR, 2BR=1BR+studio) These rooms are roughly similar to the Beach Club Villas rooms with pirate and nautical flavor.

Canyon Rooms:  550 studios, 450 double beds, 100 single Kings. These rooms are very similar to the Mermaid rooms at Art of Animation, but with a savanna feel. This massive amount of studios will help alleviate the demand and shortage of DVC studios.  

#4 Adam Hitt – The Lillian – A Haunted Mansion Resort

One-Bedrooms: This will be the smallest resort at roughly 200 rooms. These are all one-bedroom accommodations sleeping up to six. Remember, you’re a guest in a 400-year-old mansion, so there won’t be separate kitchens. Room Themes: There will be 10-15 different unique room designs and all will be filled with antiques, paintings reminiscent of the stretching room, and artifacts that really give the impression that you’re in a one-of-a-kind room. The rooms themselves will feel incredibly baroque with intricately carved wood panels, canopy beds, Persian rugs,

Resort Element #5 – Transportation Options

#5 Chris Salata – Skyline Resort and Spa

The Skyline Resort will have monorail, gondola and busses to get people to the parts. Ideally, the resort will also have their own private entrance into EPCOT.

#5 Jeremy Murray – The Villian's Getaway

Pirate ship themed ferry boat to MK. Walking path to Monorail station at MK. Busses to all destinations.

#5 Adam Hitt – The Lillian – A Haunted Mansion Resort

Car and Bus: The theming starts before you enter the grounds of the resort. The first thing guests would see is a massive wrought Iron Gate flanked on either side by lichen-covered marble lions. Through the gates, is a long winding cobblestone road shaded with ancient trees. The thick forest abruptly ends to reveal acres of sprawling manicured grounds complete with formal gardens, hedge mazes, topiary, baroque fountains, secret gardens, and marble statuary, all appearing as though they’ve been there for several hundred years. Still, away in the distance sits the Lilian. The estate is completely surrounded by tall dense trees in the distance masking the view

We pick up the conversation from episode 030 where Chris, Jeremy, and Adam present their armchair Imagineering resorts. We cover three areas in this show: Room Design and Layout, Transportation Options and Resort Activities

Does Disney inspire your inner creative? As DVC members, we love our resorts and have often dreamed about building a new resort. In episode 030 and episode 031, we give members the opportunity to share their creativity as they dream up new resort ideas on our armchair Imagineering competition. After listening to the episodes please vote for your favorite resort! The winner will advance to a celebrity round with former Disney Imagineer McNair Wilson. Who will win episode 030 and episode 031? Will the Haunted Mansion inspired resort edge out the Villain's Getaway? Will the listeners prefer the luxury of the Skyline Resort and Spa?

This is the third round of our FrankenResort competition. The winner of this show will join Valerie Fairnington from episode 010, Melissa from episode 020. Adam and Jeremey started working on their resorts as soon as episode 010 was released. Every time we record this show, it gets longer and longer. We have over 2 hours of content and will be presenting it in two episodes. The voting form is at the bottom of this page.

Resort Element #1- Name, Theme, Location

#1 Jeremy Murray – The Villian's Getaway

Theme: Villain semi-immersive with 3 locationsGothic Castle with vaulted 6 story lobby, Pirate Township 1700s, and Savana Canyon Location: North of Grand Floridian, West of Pirates of the Caribbean & Frontier Land

#1 Chris Salata – Skyline Resort and Spa

Resort Name: Skyline Resort and SpaResort Theme: Upscale, Think Waldorf Astoria meets ManhattanResort Location: Along Bay Lake, between TTC and ContempGeneral Overview: This upscale resort will give the upscale resort experience with the ultimate luxury experience. Limited size, with luxury being the focus.

#1 Adam Hitt – The Lillian – A Haunted Mansion Resort

Resort Name: The Lillian (Named after Lilian Gracey, aka The Tightrope Walker in The Haunted Mansion)Resort Theme: The Haunted MansionResort Location: This would be a massive sprawling estate located in a currently undeveloped piece of land that lies between World Drive and Reedy Creek, about a half-mile north of Cornado Springs. The most important part of the location is that the resort and grounds themselves feel isolated. I don’t want guests to be able to see anything but trees in the distance.General Overview: The Lilian was the second, much grander home of Edward Gracey. It’s a massive French Baroque palace located in the English Countryside. Think Versailles meets the Winchester Mystery House meets the Haunted Mansion meets the grounds and interior detail of the Tower of Terror. The hotel would include everything expected in such a grand estate. Libraries, game rooms, gardens, hedge mazes, atriums, ballrooms, grand dining areas… in fitting with the theme, there will be plenty of dusty old oil painted portraits, giant stone fireplaces, gargoyles, creeping vines, secret doors through bookshelves, hidden corridors, and of course flickering candlelight, creaking doorless chambers, and strange sounds echoing through the halls. This is a completely immersive resort. The hotel staff will be wearing outfits similar to The Haunted Mansion. They would remain in character.Location: This would be a massive sprawling estate located in a currently undeveloped piece of land that lies between World Drive and Reedy Creek, about a half-mile north of Coronado Springs. The most important part of the location is that the resort and grounds themselves feel isolated. I don’t want guests to be able to see anything but trees in the distance.

Resort Element #2- Restaurants Name and Theme

#2 Chris Salata – Skyline Resort and Spa

Table Service: Mario's – offering a variety of high-end comfort food such as steaks sizzling on a platter, a deep dish Chicago style and New York thin-crust pizzeria.Quick Service: Cusine inspired by some of the best food truck inspired chefs across the country.Signature Restaurant: Platinum &

Does Disney inspire your inner creative? As DVC members, we love our resorts and have often dreamed about building a new resort. In episode 030 and episode 031, we give members the opportunity to share their creativity as they dream up new resort ideas on our armchair Imagineering competition. After listening to the episodes please vote for your favorite resort! The winner will advance to a celebrity round with former Disney Imagineer McNair Wilson. Who will win episode 030 and episode 031? Will the Haunted Mansion inspired resort edge out the Villain's Getaway? Will the listeners prefer the luxury of the Skyline Resort and Spa?

Have you ever wondered how a DVC guide spends their points? Realistically, DVC is their job. What do they do to get away from work yet create magical vacation memories for their own families? Shortly after Andy Berry joined DVC as a member, he joined the DVC sales team as a guide. Earlier this year, he transitioned over to DVC Resale Market. In episode 029, Andy shares his DVC story and we get a glimpse of how a DVC guide's family utilized their DVC points. Join in to learn about RCI, cruises, and Adventures by Disney.

In episode 029, we meet Andy Berry. He and his wife, Jolie, have been Disney Vacation Club members since September 2010. While on a weekend cruise aboard the Disney Magic, they decided to join DVC.

Andy and Jolie decided to buy into DVC after she had booked a Disney cruise to Alaska. Andy and Jolie knew that they wanted to continue taking Disney related vacations with their family. He says it was simple economics that led them to the decision to purchase their Vacation Club membership. Wanting to share the legacy of Disney with their four kids and being able to pass it down to their grandchildren was a significant selling point for them, too. They chose Bay Lake as their home resort, although they have yet to stay at Bay Lake.

Becoming a Disney Vacation Club Cast Member

Photo when Andy was a Direct Guide at Disneyland

After going through the process of buying into DVC, Andy's guide suggested he look into joining the DVC sales team. Andy decided to become a Disney Cast Member as a guide. Before joining the Walt Disney Company, Andy had spent many years as a CFO, which provided him with a background in finance. Andy discussed the qualities he believes Disney looks for in a DVC Guide Member, including loving the Disney brand and embodying Walt's legacy. He says he likes to treat every tour he does as if Walt is sitting with them during the conversation. After working as a Direct Guide for DVC for eight years, Andy transitioned over to DVC Resale Market to have more time to spend with his family. This also allows Andy to serve buyers and sellers.

As someone who has worked in the direct market and resale market of Disney Vacation Club sales, Andy recommends purchasing through the resale market.

Adventures by Disney

When Andy's family began planning their first Adventures by Disney vacation, the company was coming up on their tenth anniversary. Andy's wife suggested they take one of the first trips offered when Adventures by Disney was first established. Her idea led them to the “Quest for the West” trip to Wyoming. While in the airport returning home from that trip, the family was looking over the brochure for ABD and chose where their next trip would be: South Africa.

You have to love the Camel Selfie!

Among the seven trips that Andy and his family have taken with Adventures by Disney are destinations to Peru, Norway, and Costa Rica. “Disney thinks of everything so thoroughly,” Andy says. He feels their experiences in those places were so complete that they don't feel a need to return there because of Disney's attention to detail in planning the trips. Another point Andy makes about Adventures by Disney is their dedication to the first-class service. He says while traveling in Peru with Adventures by Disney, he became ill. Within a half-hour of letting their Guides know he was sick, they had brought him medicine to help him overcome his illness.

Andy says they had a first-class experience on their trip to South Africa thanks to ABD. He especially loved learning about and engaging in the culture there and being immersed in the Sahara & Savannah areas. A memory that stands out from the trip was seeing the animals in their natural habitat.

Aulani – A Excellent Use of Your DVC Points

Andy and his family have stayed at Disney's Aulani Resort and absolutely loved it. He offers advice when planning your trip

Have you ever wondered how a DVC guide spends their points? Realistically, DVC is their job. What do they do to get away from work yet create magical vacation memories for their own families? Shortly after Andy Berry joined DVC as a member, he joined the DVC sales team as a guide. Earlier this year, he transitioned over to DVC Resale Market. In episode 029, Andy shares his DVC story and we get a glimpse of how a DVC guide's family utilized their DVC points. Join in to learn about RCI, cruises, and Adventures by Disney.