By Bill Diercksen, Senior Vice President,
Disney Vacation Club & Aulani
Photos by Chris Regan
My colleagues – and perhaps you – often hear me say that my favorite workdays are those that find me, not in the office, but out and about with Members. Because when your job is to lead a magical community, your best days are spent with that magical community.
So whether I’m visiting with individual Members at Disney Vacation Club Resorts or meeting hundreds of Members at a Disney Vacation Club event, those are the days that put the proverbial wind in my sails.
From left, legendary Imagineer Bob Weis visits with Disney Files Magazine Editor Ryan March on stage in the Sarabi entertainment venue aboard the Disney Treasure ship during the Disney Vacation Club First Wave sailing.
And speaking of sailing, I couldn’t have asked for a better start to this New Year. From Jan. 4-11, I had the privilege of cruising with Members on a Disney Vacation Club First Wave voyage aboard the spectacular new Disney Treasure ship. The ship is stunning, its crew is incredible, the weather was ideal, and it’s hard to find fault in a work week that ends on the sun-splashed shores of Disney Castaway Cay. But what I enjoyed most was the quality time I spent with Members.
The countless families with whom I visited during the cruise shared vacation memories (some made me laugh; others nearly brought me to tears), offered feedback both positive and constructive (all feedback is critical to our commitment to continuous improvement) and reinforced the “why” behind our work.
And while First Wave sailings don’t overly alter the onboard experience, we did invite a special guest aboard to share his inspiring stories with Members: legendary Disney Imagineer Bob Weis. During his astounding 40 years as an Imagineer, including six years as the President of Walt Disney Imagineering, Bob helped shape experiences at every Disney destination on Earth.
I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Bob through the years, so it was wonderful to reconnect with him now that he’s made the transition from Disney Imagineer to Disney author (his new book Dream Chasing is a must-read for Disney fans). Every story Bob shared on stage was compelling, offering inside looks at the creation of experiences that mean so much to so many. At the end of his talk, he said something that’s stuck with me like my craving for the ship’s brisket (Mickey’s Smokestack Barbecue is fantastic).
Legendary Imagineer Bob Weis signs his new book Dream Chasing: My Four Decades of Success and Failure with Walt Disney Imagineering for Members during a Disney Vacation Club First Wave sailing aboard the Disney Treasure ship.
“Once we create an experience, it no longer belongs to us,” he told the audience. “Disney experiences belong to you. We’re just the stewards.”
Nowhere is that sentiment truer than here at Disney Vacation Club, where Members “own a piece of the magic.” It’s why I can’t emphasize enough how much we value the time we spend with you and the feedback you’re so willing to share. We love what we do and the experiences we create, but like Bob, we know those experiences belong to you.
From all of us at Disney Vacation Club who are so proud to be the stewards of your vacation traditions, thank you. Keep the feedback coming, and I’ll see you around the neighborhood on my best workdays ahead.
See the back cover of this edition of Disney Files Magazine for details about the next Disney Vacation Club First Wave voyage, sailing this fall aboard the highly anticipated new Disney Destiny ship!
