The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Owners & Lovers Group - 2.0

[ClaraOswald]

I just can't see us wanting to stay at VDH ever. Maybe I'll change my mind once I see them in person though.

 

[elenex]

I just can't see us wanting to stay at VDH ever. Maybe I'll change my mind once I see them in person though.

Having now stayed at VDH, not sure we will do it again. None of us preferred anything about it to VGC, aside from the cleanliness. Glad we opted for more VGC instead..can't wait for 25 for the refurb!

 

[NVDISFamily]

I always go back and forth about direct points but I always end up on figuring it doesn't make sense for us. The only "extras" I think we'd use would maybe be the lounge and then the 10% (or whatever it is) discount. So in the end, I don't think those 2 things are worth the price jump. Well, I guess we could also book at VDH or Riviera or future resorts if we had at least 150 pts but I don't see us wanting to do that either.

The main benefit of having a pile of direct points is that you are a bit more "future proof" on what DVC is likely to become in the next 10 to 15 years. I'd never recommend that someone buy points direct for any perk as the primary reason, but they are nice. If you visit Disneyland enough, the lounge is great and it's an awesome alternative/bonus when you don't have enough DVC points and have to stay further down the road on Harbor and want to relax in the middle of the day.

I used to say that I value direct points over resale if the delta was less than 20 to 30 dollars a point. Now that I've had more time to reflect on how I use my points I would say that I may push that value a little higher to as much as 40. I also factor in our age and the fact that if/when the 2042 resorts convert we'll just barely be in our early 60s and hopefully still enjoying our membership/points. Would be happy to not be locked out of BCV2, BWV2, etc years from now. So far I've used my "cheap" riviera points for stays at VDH, VGC, BRV, extending/enhancing a stay at CCV, and I have booked us and a friend two 7 night stays in a BWV 2BR for our 2024 summer trip. We also have used them at Riviera too and love that resort.

TLDR - if you find yourself in need of more points for the program, and value long term flexibility on what they may do with the program, you might be looking to buy direct in 2024.

I just can't see us wanting to stay at VDH ever. Maybe I'll change my mind once I see them in person though.

I'm still processing and my current answer answer is..... if I had to pick and stay at only one VGC for sure. But as I don't have to make that choice. VGC is the better resort for Fall/Winter trips. Grand Cal does the Christmas holiday season way better.

For later spring/summer trips, I think the vibe at Disneyland Hotel may win out.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Having now stayed at VDH, not sure we will do it again. None of us preferred anything about it to VGC, aside from the cleanliness. Glad we opted for more VGC instead..can't wait for 25 for the refurb!

I'd love to hear what things you weren't a fan of at VDH.

The main benefit of having a pile of direct points is that you are a bit more "future proof" on what DVC is likely to become in the next 10 to 15 years. I'd never recommend that someone buy points direct for any perk as the primary reason, but they are nice. If you visit Disneyland enough, the lounge is great and it's an awesome alternative/bonus when you don't have enough DVC points and have to stay further down the road on Harbor and want to relax in the middle of the day.

I used to say that I value direct points over resale if the delta was less than 20 to 30 dollars a point. Now that I've had more time to reflect on how I use my points I would say that I may push that value a little higher to as much as 40. I also factor in our age and the fact that if/when the 2042 resorts convert we'll just barely be in our early 60s and hopefully still enjoying our membership/points. Would be happy to not be locked out of BCV2, BWV2, etc years from now. So far I've used my "cheap" riviera points for stays at VDH, VGC, BRV, extending/enhancing a stay at CCV, and I have booked us and a friend two 7 night stays in a BWV 2BR for our 2024 summer trip. We also have used them at Riviera too and love that resort.

TLDR - if you find yourself in need of more points for the program, and value long term flexibility on what they may do with the program, you might be looking to buy direct in 2024.



I'm still processing and my current answer answer is..... if I had to pick and stay at only one VGC for sure. But as I don't have to make that choice. VGC is the better resort for Fall/Winter trips. Grand Cal does the Christmas holiday season way better.

For later spring/summer trips, I think the vibe at Disneyland Hotel may win out.

I guess I never really thought about what would happen with the other resorts start converting. I need to go look at what year that is for every place. We still aren't sure what our son will think of WDW. If he's not a big fan, I don't see us going back very often. But we will hopefully keep going to Disneyland at least once a year. Or maybe more as the years go on...which we'd obviously have to do resale if we want to do VGC for every trip.

My husband and I have only briefly talked about what our plans would be if our son ends up loving WDW and we want to alternate between there and DL. So it's pretty up in the air at this point. What's the cheapest place you can buy direct?? We've only ever stayed at moderate and value resorts in the past. And the only Deluxe we have even visited is Wilderness Lodge so I don't really know much about the others ones except for the minimal research I've done this past year.

What kind of vibe does the DLH give up that makes you think it would be good in summer? I'm hoping to get a quick tour of the place when we go next June.

There are a lot of factors I hadn't really considered when it comes to direct vs. resale. Hmm.

 

[elenex]

I'd love to hear what things you weren't a fan of at VDH.


I guess I never really thought about what would happen with the other resorts start converting. I need to go look at what year that is for every place. We still aren't sure what our son will think of WDW. If he's not a big fan, I don't see us going back very often. But we will hopefully keep going to Disneyland at least once a year. Or maybe more as the years go on...which we'd obviously have to do resale if we want to do VGC for every trip.

My husband and I have only briefly talked about what our plans would be if our son ends up loving WDW and we want to alternate between there and DL. So it's pretty up in the air at this point. What's the cheapest place you can buy direct?? We've only ever stayed at moderate and value resorts in the past. And the only Deluxe we have even visited is Wilderness Lodge so I don't really know much about the others ones except for the minimal research I've done this past year.

What kind of vibe does the DLH give up that makes you think it would be good in summer? I'm hoping to get a quick tour of the place when we go next June.

There are a lot of factors I hadn't really considered when it comes to direct vs. resale. Hmm.

It felt sterile to me. My 4 year old simply rejected the room, prefers the firework carpet and magic headboard from DLH proper. My wife still felt like she walked into an IKEA even though she admitted the quality of fixtures were better than she expected. The lack of a balcony in the studios sucks. The pool/pool bar are accessible to all guests so we can just visit them on stays at DLH. It lacks the charm and location of VGC. And I dislike the security gate to get into downtown... They are stricter there than at VGC since the general public enters that way too (I've been known to bring in an adult beverage to go from time to time).

We all really liked the palm breeze bar though. Maybe as much as the craftsman. Easily my favorite at DLH. But as above, you don't need to buy into VDH to access it and swim in the new pool, use the splash pad etc. My son did like the splash pad as well.

Edit: I should disclose we stayed in a studio but also took the tour and saw the 1 bedroom demo unit. I found the 1 bedroom more acceptable than the studio but still... Blah. Prefer VGC's character.

 

[ClaraOswald]

So for the heck of it, I looked at the list of when each resort deed expires and then did the math to see how old I'd be. In January of 2042, I'll be 60 and my husband will be 63. And it looks like if we only have resale, we'd lose Boulder Ridge, Hilton Head, Vero, Boardwalk, Beach Club...and I'm unsure about OKW since it has 2 expiration years.

In 2054, I'll be 72 when we lose SSR.
In 2057, I'll be 75 when we lose Animal Kingdom.

So that leaves us a handful of resorts we could still stay at in our 70s - BLT, GF, Poly, Copper Creek, and Aulani. I wonder if it would be easier/harder at that point to get rooms at the 7-month mark. I'm guessing harder, right? So maybe we would be completely pushed out of the east coast resorts. I suppose that may or may not matter to us by then. It's so hard to know how healthy we'll be in our 70s. I have Rheumatoid Arthritis so WDW will always be more difficult for me than Disneyland. Makes me wonder if I'd even want to go there at that point...those I'd miss Epcot terribly!

When our VGC expires, I'll be 78. My husband will be 81. That is terrifying. Ha!

I think my bigger concern as the years go on would be...will there come a point where there won't be ANY resale VGC contracts on the market for us to add on more home-resort points??

And if there are...will they be crazy expensive or will they eventually get more and more affordable as there are less uses remaining on the deed?

 

[ajiuo]

 

[ClaraOswald]

160 pt contracts starting at under $18k!!

*Crying in 160 pts for $38k*

 

[pineapplepalms]

For later spring/summer trips, I think the vibe at Disneyland Hotel may win out.

I would agree. We also own at both and I like both for different reasons. The rooms at VDH are definitely newer, nicer, and more modern. Our kids love the pools, splash pad, and slides at VDH, which makes me lean towards VDH for warmer weather trips. Not to mention easy access to Dole Whip. For the holiday decorations though, it’s hard to beat VGC, although the Santa photo setup for VDH was nice this year. I really like the new Palm Breeze Bar at VDH. I don’t find VDH to be terribly far, especially for DCA since we use the back entrance. DL does feel a bit farther at the end of the night, but walking through DD isn’t bad. I love the new murals at VDH so much that we ended up buying canvas prints to hang up at home.

We’ve stayed at VDH twice so far, once in a studio and once in a 1BR. The 1BR was a lot nicer with 2 full bathrooms and the balcony. It’s nice to have the 2 Murphy beds in the living room, since those accommodated our 3 little ones easily. We could probably stay comfortably in a 1BR for a bit longer before moving to 2BRs. With the small amount of larger villas at VDH, I think it’s important to own there if we want to reliably stay in those, especially since we typically travel during breaks/holidays.

For next year or two, we plan on staying mostly at VDH for our trips, although we do have a weeklong stay at VGC in the spring. We’ve stayed at VGC a lot in the last few years, and I’m leaning towards VDH right now until the VGC renovations are completed.

 

[AstroBlasters]

IMO, VDH has the following advantages to VGC

1) Murphy Beds
2) Some low point chart weeks
3) More rooms available if a studio will do
4) You only have to compete with direct points for a reservation, not every resale point in the system

 

[ajiuo]

IMO, VDH has the following advantages to VGC

1) Murphy Beds
2) Some low point chart weeks
3) More rooms available if a studio will do
4) You only have to compete with direct points for a reservation, not every resale point in the system

1) VGC will likely be getting Murphy beds during the referb
2) What are you comparing though? You can’t compare the Duo Studio. The standard and preferred view studios have lesser views than anything at VGC and don’t have patios. They only thing you can really compare are the garden view room, and I’m not even sure that they all have patios. A VGC studio is generally a better deal than a Garden View studio at VDH… especially when you add on the tax (and even with the tax added in dues are still cheaper at VGC). There is also the added convenience of location. Yes VDH has cheaper rooms if you are also looking for a lesser room… but once you add on the tax and higher dues, I don’t know.
3) This is true if you are okay with a lesser room.
4) If you are a seven month person this is true. At VGC it’s kind of a non issue because not many people get in at the 7 month window anyway. Getting in at the 11 month window isn’t an issue at VGC. The 11 month window shouldn’t be an issue at VDH, other than maybe the duo studios. We will have to wait until the resort is sold out to see what the seven month window is like there. I expect it will probably harder then most resorts but probably not quite as bad at as VGC.

I was thinking about VDH before the details were announced. I decided to buy a VGC contract in January when prices dipped, and don’t regret the decision at all. I got to stay at VDH for two nights and VGC for one night in November (both booked at 1 month). It was my first time at both resorts. Whol I liked the newness of the rooms at VDH, I enjoyed VGC much more and would pick that resort any day… also VGC rooms will have the better newness factor in 2025. Also the resale restrictions at VDH will hurt the resale value. I don’t think it will be as bad at riviera though. The restrictions at VDH just make VGC more valuable.

I know everyone’s situation is different and we all have our own points of view… but this is mine.

I am definitely proud to be a VGC owner… no regrets on picking it over VDH, and I must admit my timing was perfect.

 

[ClaraOswald]

1) VGC will likely be getting Murphy beds during the referb
2) What are you comparing though? You can’t compare the Duo Studio. The standard and preferred view studios have lesser views than anything at VGC and don’t have patios. They only thing you can really compare are the garden view room, and I’m not even sure that they all have patios. A VGC studio is generally a better deal than a Garden View studio at VDH… especially when you add on the tax (and even with the tax added in dues are still cheaper at VGC). There is also the added convenience of location. Yes VDH has cheaper rooms if you are also looking for a lesser room… but once you add on the tax and higher dues, I don’t know.
3) This is true if you are okay with a lesser room.
4) If you are a seven month person this is true. At VGC it’s kind of a non issue because not many people get in at the 7 month window anyway. Getting in at the 11 month window isn’t an issue at VGC. The 11 month window shouldn’t be an issue at VDH, other than maybe the duo studios. We will have to wait until the resort is sold out to see what the seven month window is like there. I expect it will probably harder then most resorts but probably not quite as bad at as VGC.

I was thinking about VDH before the details were announced. I decided to buy a VGC contract in January when prices dipped, and don’t regret the decision at all. I got to stay at VDH for two nights and VGC for one night in November (both booked at 1 month). It was my first time at both resorts. Whol I liked the newness of the rooms at VDH, I enjoyed VGC much more and would pick that resort any day… also VGC rooms will have the better newness factor in 2025. Also the resale restrictions at VDH will hurt the resale value. I don’t think it will be as bad at riviera though. The restrictions at VDH just make VGC more valuable.

I know everyone’s situation is different and we all have our own points of view… but this is mine.

I am definitely proud to be a VGC owner… no regrets on picking it over VDH, and I must admit my timing was perfect.

Yeah, I feel our timing of purchasing VGC in March was pretty great. Now I just need to try to time when we (eventually) want to add more points. Ha!

 

[AstroBlasters]

1) VGC will likely be getting Murphy beds during the referb
2) What are you comparing though? You can’t compare the Duo Studio. The standard and preferred view studios have lesser views than anything at VGC and don’t have patios. They only thing you can really compare are the garden view room, and I’m not even sure that they all have patios. A VGC studio is generally a better deal than a Garden View studio at VDH… especially when you add on the tax (and even with the tax added in dues are still cheaper at VGC). There is also the added convenience of location. Yes VDH has cheaper rooms if you are also looking for a lesser room… but once you add on the tax and higher dues, I don’t know.
3) This is true if you are okay with a lesser room.
4) If you are a seven month person this is true. At VGC it’s kind of a non issue because not many people get in at the 7 month window anyway. Getting in at the 11 month window isn’t an issue at VGC. The 11 month window shouldn’t be an issue at VDH, other than maybe the duo studios. We will have to wait until the resort is sold out to see what the seven month window is like there. I expect it will probably harder then most resorts but probably not quite as bad at as VGC.

I was thinking about VDH before the details were announced. I decided to buy a VGC contract in January when prices dipped, and don’t regret the decision at all. I got to stay at VDH for two nights and VGC for one night in November (both booked at 1 month). It was my first time at both resorts. Whol I liked the newness of the rooms at VDH, I enjoyed VGC much more and would pick that resort any day… also VGC rooms will have the better newness factor in 2025. Also the resale restrictions at VDH will hurt the resale value. I don’t think it will be as bad at riviera though. The restrictions at VDH just make VGC more valuable.

I know everyone’s situation is different and we all have our own points of view… but this is mine.

I am definitely proud to be a VGC owner… no regrets on picking it over VDH, and I must admit my timing was perfect.

I don’t look at it as VGC vs VDH, I agree with previous posters that there is an advantage to having access to both.

If you look at the point charts for both resorts there are some weeks that are materially lower (for the exact same room type) at VDH vs VGC. An example would be the first weekend of January at VDH when the parks are still decorated for the holidays.

My wife isn’t a big fan of VDH, but she likes that we can use some of our Aulani direct points to stay at VDH if she wants to squeeze in an extra DLand trip at the expense of a nicer room view at Aulani.

So, IMO it’s useful to understand where VDH has some advantages if traveling to DLand in 2024.

 

[ajiuo]

Yeah, I feel our timing of purchasing VGC in March was pretty great. Now I just need to try to time when we (eventually) want to add more points. Ha!

I wouldn’t mind getting 25-50 additional points. I’ve only seen one 25 point contract since I got my points and it wasn’t my use year. I won’t buy points in a different use year. I would honestly probably buy 25-30 points direct if they had them.

I also have points at AKV, but only 25 are direct. I used some direct points to stay at VDH and non direct points for one night at VGC. I have 6 nights booked in early May at VGC. That will be my first real stay there. I’m pretty excited, it was hard to enjoy much with only one night.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Nice! We have 6 nights in mid-June for our first VGC stay.

I really have no clue how many points we would want to add down the road. I'd have to look at the points chart more thoroughly. I also have no idea how long of trips we may want to take once our son is older. Right now, we find 6 nights with 5 park days is good for him. We've done 6 park days but by the end, he was clearly ready to head home.

If the 2nd contract is same use year, is it pretty easy to book a trip using the 2 contracts?

 

[ajiuo]

Nice! We have 6 nights in mid-June for our first VGC stay.

I really have no clue how many points we would want to add down the road. I'd have to look at the points chart more thoroughly. I also have no idea how long of trips we may want to take once our son is older. Right now, we find 6 nights with 5 park days is good for him. We've done 6 park days but by the end, he was clearly ready to head home.

If the 2nd contract is same use year, is it pretty easy to book a trip using the 2 contracts?

Cool

My plan was to do a five night stay every year around late April / early May.. That keeps me about 6 month from May late October / early November Disney World Trip (I do 9-12 nights there). My thought with getting more VGC points would be that I would switch from 1 five day trip to a 3 day trip in Jan and a 4 day trip in early May. It’s only a 1.5 hour flight to SNA from where I am.

I’m also doing 6 nights for my first real VGC trip. I’m going to also go check out Super Nintendo world and maybe hit up a beach.

 

[elenex]

Nice! We have 6 nights in mid-June for our first VGC stay.

I really have no clue how many points we would want to add down the road. I'd have to look at the points chart more thoroughly. I also have no idea how long of trips we may want to take once our son is older. Right now, we find 6 nights with 5 park days is good for him. We've done 6 park days but by the end, he was clearly ready to head home.

If the 2nd contract is same use year, is it pretty easy to book a trip using the 2 contracts?

Very easy, like it was one contact.

Actually on my way there now. Split stay, 2 nights DLH, 3 nights VGC. Had VDH booked for first 2 but decided to save the points and book the rooms we like better at DLH.6 nights is perfect for a park trip imo. By night 5 we all want another day, but by night 7 we're bored.

 

[MagicDVC]

Nice! We have 6 nights in mid-June for our first VGC stay.

I really have no clue how many points we would want to add down the road. I'd have to look at the points chart more thoroughly. I also have no idea how long of trips we may want to take once our son is older. Right now, we find 6 nights with 5 park days is good for him. We've done 6 park days but by the end, he was clearly ready to head home.

If the 2nd contract is same use year, is it pretty easy to book a trip using the 2 contracts?

Yes, if same UY and home resort, the system will use both contracts like they were 1.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I don’t look at it as VGC vs VDH, I agree with previous posters that there is an advantage to having access to both.

If you look at the point charts for both resorts there are some weeks that are materially lower (for the exact same room type) at VDH vs VGC. An example would be the first weekend of January at VDH when the parks are still decorated for the holidays.

My wife isn’t a big fan of VDH, but she likes that we can use some of our Aulani direct points to stay at VDH if she wants to squeeze in an extra DLand trip at the expense of a nicer room view at Aulani.

So, IMO it’s useful to understand where VDH has some advantages if traveling to DLand in 2024.

You know I love my VGC as much as the next person. But I would definitely pick VDH for late August. VGC is way too expensive and not worth the points. I love the idea of being able to book VDH at 7 months using some of my direct points too. But 7 month availability isn't always so good from what I've seen, even for the deluxe studios. Perhaps it's because it's still so new. I'm just happy and thankful that there is another option in town. Though, I recently stayed at the Courtyard Marriott on Harbor and it was fantastic. The room was very spacious. The kids loved the bunk bed. The pool and play area was awesome. We saw fireworks from the balcony. Dining options were plenty. And it was also much closer to the park than from VDH. So good that my kids would probably prefer it over VGC! Oh the irony.

 

[AstroBlasters]

You know I love my VGC as much as the next person. But I would definitely pick VDH for late August. VGC is way too expensive and not worth the points. I love the idea of being able to book VDH at 7 months using some of my direct points too. But 7 month availability isn't always so good from what I've seen, even for the deluxe studios. Perhaps it's because it's still so new. I'm just happy and thankful that there is another option in town. Though, I recently stayed at the Courtyard Marriott on Harbor and it was fantastic. The room was very spacious. The kids loved the bunk bed. The pool and play area was awesome. We saw fireworks from the balcony. Dining options were plenty. And it was also much closer to the park than from VDH. So good that my kids would probably prefer it over VGC! Oh the irony.

Yeah, first week of January and late August are prime VDH vs VGC delta periods.

They are also nice because CA schools tend to be back in class.

We’ve got 400 VGC points and I like to try and squeeze as much use out of them as possible. An inexpensive trip to VDH every now and then helps us do that.