Disney is confirming what exactly it will be adding at the Grand Floridian Resort.
In March Disney filed documents with a state agency that showed plans for a major add-on. The plans showed the proposed addition of a large building to the south of the existing resort buildings, wedged to the north of Disney's wedding pavilion.
Disney is now acknowledging, as was widely speculated, that the new structure will be the latest in its timeshare venture, Disney Vacation Club.
The 147-villa add-on is scheduled to open in late 2013.
“We continually look for ways to expand Disney Vacation Club by creating resort experiences that our members will love,” Claire Bilby, senior vice president and general manager of Disney Vacation Club, said in a press release. “With the continued popularity of Bay Lake Tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, we are thrilled to offer our members and guests a new resort option along the monorail system with easy access to the Magic Kingdom Park, as well as a variety of shopping, dining and recreation experiences.”
The initial plans filed with the state earlier this year called for demolishing the resort's existing tennis court and adding a parking lot.
Disney also planned to change the shoreline of the Seven Seas Lagoon, the man-made body of water on which the resort sits, to accommodate the new building, according to filed plans from Walt Disney Imagineering. It appears the shoreline change would allow for more property with a view of the water.
The add-on will be Disney Vacation Club's 12th property. The Grand Floridian opened in 1988, and is modeled after the Hotel del Coronado in San Diego, Calif. The resort is Disney's priciest on property, in a bracket all its own.