In a mildly sensationalistic article, the Honolulu Star Bulletin details how Hawaii residents currently cannot purchase an interest in the Disney Vacation Club when contacting DVC from their homes.  Each US state has its own registration process which must be completed before a timeshare developer (in this case Disney Vacation Development) may market products to its residents.  Currently Hawaii and Nebraska are the only two states in which DVD is not registered to market.

As media outlets trumpet the news that Disney is building a brand new “mixed use” family resort in Hawaii, few if any know what is really happening behind the scenes between Disney & Ko Olina’s developer Jeff Stone.

Disney’s press release was short on specifics, citing additional details scheduled for release sometime in early 2008.  But why all the secrecy?  Could there be something bigger in the works than just a hotel / timeshare?

Walt Disney Parks & Resorts (NYSE: DIS) announced today that the company has finalized plans to purchase 21 acres of oceanfront property on Hawaii's island of Oahu.

The property, located on the island's western side in the picturesque Ko Olina Resort & Marina, Honolulu's premier resort destination, will be home to Disney's first mixed-use family resort outside of its theme park developments. The expansive resort, scheduled to open in 2011, will have more than 800 units including hotel rooms and villas for Disney Vacation Club, which is Disney's rapidly growing timeshare business.

The Disney Vacation Club is expanding by leaps and bounds.  Just a couple of weeks after announcing an addition to Disneyland's Grand Californian Hotel, Disney has confirmed that it will build an 800-unit mixed-use resort at Ko Olina. 

A 2003 article in the Pacific Business News details a proposed development plan between Ko Olina Resort & Marina  and Norwegian Cruise Lines.  At the time, the goal was to expand Ko Olina's Oahu-based marina to accommodate Norwegian's cruise ships and create a Disney-style development on land for guests.  Now Ko Olina may be poised to bypass the Disney-style project and go straight to the source.