DVC Refurbishments Through the Years

Refurbishments have been a big topic of discussion lately as several of the DVC resorts have either just completed renovations or are still in progress.  However, with many of us becoming DVC members well after our home resorts first opened, plenty of us missed seeing the older iterations of the rooms.  Thanks to a little crowdsourcing in the DVC Fan Facebook group and the DISboards, we are able to take a look back at how some of the DVC villas have changed over the years. 

---

Bay Lake Tower

Bay Lake Tower opened in 2009, and it hasn’t yet had its first full refurbishment.  This explains why the 2012 room doesn’t look too different from what we see today.  However, what is noticeable is the pops of color from the bed runner and throw pillows.  Those accessories have not returned to the rooms since the pandemic.

Beach Club Villas

The Beach Club Villas looked quite different when it first opened in 2002.  Back then, there were lots of shades of green from the breakfast nook and kitchen cabinets to the throw pillows and chairs in the master bedrooms. There were also plenty of busy-looking prints in the upholstery.  Before the latest soft goods refurbishment this past year, all of these prints shifted to beachy blue and sand tones as seen in the image of the Deluxe Studio in 2017.

BoardWalk Villas

The earliest BoardWalk photo we received was of a Deluxe Studio in 2006, ten years after the resort’s opening and before its first full refurbishment.  For those of us who feel the new refurbishment design is bland and lacking in color, well, we have the polar opposite here with prints, prints, and more prints!  These busy and clashing prints lasted until the BoardWalk’s previous soft goods refurbishment in 2016.

Hilton Head Island Resort

Like the BoardWalk Villas, Hilton Head Island Resort opened in 1996, and the original Hilton Head rooms have about just as many prints throughout the bedding, upholstery, and carpeting as the old BoardWalk rooms.  There is also a bold red accent wall in the studio and a green accent wall in the living room of the One bedroom. By 2015, much of the prints and darker colors had disappeared from the rooms.  In the latest refurbishment that is underway, this trend has continued with fewer prints and more neutral hues.  

Jambo House and Kidani Village

Jambo House at Animal Kingdom Villas opened in 2007.  We received images of the Three Bedroom Grand Villa from 2011, and the villa looks largely the same as they do currently.  There is the same dark wood furniture and cabinets. Even the light fixture over the pool table is the same.  Kidani Village opened in 2009, so the 2015 photos of the One Bedroom Villa here show what the room was like before any refurbishments. Minus the bedding, the One Bedroom Villa looks similar to what we see today. With the 2023 DVC Condo Association Meeting announcing that Animal Kingdom Lodge is scheduled for 2025, it will be interesting to see what the next refurbishment will bring. 

Polynesian

Since the Polynesian Villas & Bungalows opened in 2015, it has only undergone a soft goods refurbishment.  Here, we see the original Deluxe Studio with lots of red accents and the old pull-out sofa.

Saratoga Springs

We received photos of a Three Bedroom Grand Villa at Saratoga Springs from 2006, which is two years after the resort opened.  There we see lots of sage green carpeting, walls, and upholstery as well as dark wood furniture. The same color scheme is reflected in the old One Bedroom Villa and Deluxe Studio. Saratoga Springs has since become the trend setter when it comes to the latest round of refurbishments that include Murphy beds, laminate floors, and neutral colors.

Vero Beach Resort

Vero Beach is currently undergoing a soft goods refurbishment, which has brought changes to the upholstery, paint, and artwork.  The earliest Vero Beach photos we collected were from 2015, so the changes are quite subtle.  The 2015 rooms had the same airy beach house vibes, and you can even spot the same coffee table in 2015 as the one pictured in the latest refurbed rooms.  Perhaps the greatest difference between the newly refurbished rooms and the non-refurbished rooms from 2015 and 2019 is the replacement of the sofa bed with the Murphy bed.  Even the Inn Rooms will have one regular queen size bed and one Murphy bed after this latest refurbishment. 

---

Many of these rooms look pretty different and in some cases, even unrecognizable.  If nothing else, besides just having a fun look down memory lane, these photos put the recent DVC refurbishments into perspective.  It’s a good reminder that if we aren’t big fans of the current rooms, things can change drastically in the future as design trends come and go.  

---

Special thanks to DVC Fan Facebook member Heather Rastetter for suggesting this topic and to everyone who shared photos to make this idea a reality!