Are you trying to decide if you should stay onsite?

Maybe this will help you decide about renting DVC:

I am staying 4 nights in a 2BR Villa @ the Grand Californian ( 1200ish square foot suite with full kitchen, 2 balconies, 1 King BR with spa tub, 1 Double Queen BR, 2 pullouts beds in center living room, 3 bathrooms ) for $2496 total Nov 12 - 16. No room tax, no hotel tax, no taxes of any kind. Had I gone for a Deluxe, it would have been around $800 for the 4 nights. To split up the cost, make the trip with another family going half in. Each family gets their entire own private bedroom and balcony, with the awesome family area in the middle for just $1248 each.

You will never book through Disney again. Renting DVC absolutely cannot be beat. Be aware you must book MONTHS in advance though. 7 preferably.
 
Honestly, I am probably the cheapest person, but we got the gay days rates and I have to say, at those rates, staying onsite is worth it. I would not pay 400/nt though.
 
I would love to do it but I can't rationalize $2000 more for the DLH over the HoJo for the same length of stay.... that basically covers my food and passes.

It really is twice as much money and will I have twice as much fun? It's unlikely.

I've heard a lot about renting DVC points and if we go off season again it might be an option but I'm a little leery tbh

I always rent DVC points through DISboards when I'm staying at WDW, but to be honest, they're a better deal than the Grand Californian. I've never had any problems with renting the points--everythings always gone well, so I wouldn't be too leery.
 


My family, me DW DS 14 and DD 9, have stayed on property at WDW 3 times, ASM 1999, WL 2008, BWV 2011, every single time it was exactly the same.

Excellent room
Wonderful staff
impecably clean
Marvelous staff
incredible pool/pools
etc.....

That being said, recently took short vacation to Busch Gardens VA. While looking for hotels to stay looked at reviews on line. What a nightmare. It was a mixed bag of bad news with every bad thing you c ould imagine. Filthy rooms, lousy service, domestic violence problems, old beat up furniture, bed bugs..... you get the idea.

Just make your reservations at an on property location and have no such worries at all
 


I'm tempted by the VGC rental, but we would want a 1 bedroom so DD3 can go to sleep earlier in a separate room. My research shows that you need 39 points/night for the 1 bedroom during April 2013. If each point is $10-13 (based on what I saw on the DVC rental page), then it's at least $400/night compared to $180/night for a 2 bedroom suite off-site at HoJo. I agree, GCV will be more upscale and convenient, but $800 nicer and more convenient for a 4 night stay? I'm just too frugal for that. When DD3 stops napping and we can get a Studio, then I do think $200/night on-site at GCV is better than the $100 standard room at any off-site hotel.
 
My husband and I were going to go all out and stay at the DLH for our first anniversary next month...but when I actually calculated how much it would cost, we both balked! We just couldn't justify the hotel cost when we'd be spending most of our time at the parks. I'm a Disney fanatic who used to work at WDW, and wouldn't dream of staying offsite in Florida, but at WDW, there are much cheaper onsite options and the offsite options are much farther away from Disney property.

We chose the Candy Cane Inn after hearing all the great reviews for it. DH promised we'd make up for not staying onsite by doing more things in the parks with the money we saved- we have booked Carathy Circle Restaurant.

Normally, we don't get a hotel for Disneyland at all- I have family in LA so Disneyland is usually just a stop while we are in town, but we wanted to do a specifically DL trip for our anniversary.
 
The onsite rates at DLR really have gotten outrageous - there is no way that the PPH is a $300+ per night hotel - and I say that even though I love the PPH! Realistically, the PPH should be substantially less money than the DLH because it is just not as large of a property; there are no twinkly headboards, etc. It's a cute hotel - I enjoy it and have had many great stays there - but it is not as much of a "resort" hotel as the other 2 DLR hotels are and should be in a totally different price range.

It doesn't help matters any that the 'good' discounts (meaning the ones that amounted to maybe 35% off rack rates, or the ones which brought the PPH down to a reasonable $129-$179 per night level) are non-existent this year (outside of the Gay Days rates, pretty much). Even the AP rates are not good anymore. Maybe, possibly DLR will release some new discounts after Halloween Time ends this week (though doubtful), but I'm thinking that the $225 per night at the PPH (standard room) that I just nabbed for December is about the best rate I will see for that hotel for a very, very long time to come. I don't think the PPH is worth more than maybe $180 per night maximum for a standard room.

However, that said, as I mentioned earlier in this thread...saying onsite is all part of the experience for me. I live in L.A., so to most people in this area it is unnecessary to stay in a hotel when going to DLR because they just see DLR as a day trip. I generally don't just pop over to DLR for random day visits, though (unless there is a very unusual occasion, like the Cars Land preview in June, or the brand new Cars Land/Buena Vista Street decorations coming in 2 weeks). For me, I treat DLR as much more of a special vacation and I like to be there for several days at a time. The hotel enhances the whole vacation for me.

I also particularly enjoy staying onsite during the holiday season (as opposed to other onsite stays I've had during Halloween Time or summer). There is something wonderful about being in the middle of the Disney Christmas magic, leaving the room to come down to the lobby and kind of chat with people by the tree, watch carolers perform, joke around with Santa, see the interesting themed decorations, spot the DCA Christmas tree from the room, etc. It's just...extra fun and extra special for me.
 
I have been struggling with the decision of where to stay at DL for our Feb 2013 trip for several reasons. My heart wants to stay on property but my budget minded brain (and bank account) says no.

The new Cars Land is the main reason reason we are going to DL. Our soon to be 7 year old boy has seen it on TV and talks about it all the time. He just assumes we are taking him just because he wants to go. Love the innocence of children.
My DH has quite a few frequent flier miles so that is how we are covering our airfare. I have a hard time spending the additional money when I can stay at a local hotel withing easy walking distance for at least $1000 less. That pays for our 5 day PH passes and some of our meals. Plus I really like to have a microwave in addition to the mini fridge in my room. We will eat most meals in the parks or in restaurants. It would be nice to be able to reheat any leftovers we bring back or make quick snacks/breakfast. To get a DLR room with a microwave is even more $$. We have traveled quite a bit and for the most part we only stay in hotels where we can get a room with fridge and microwave. Pool is not a big consideration this trip since it will be a little chilly in February.
I understand we would get the early entry but that price is pretty steep.

However, since we live in Georgia (8 hour drive to WDW), this may be the only time we got to DLR.

We had a very good experience staying off property at WDW in Feb 2012 which would make it hard for me to spend the additional money here too. We rented a 4 bdrm home with a heated pool through VRBO.com for about $1000. Since you have to drive/use shuttle to get to the parks it was no different to drive from the house. We shared the house with another family and saved even more. Yes, we had to pay parking, but we saved over $1200 on lodging. That will buy a lot of $9 turkey legs and mouse ears.

I would absolutely consider renting points and doing a DVC room but those arrangements usually can not be refunded. We have elderly parents and you just never know what can happen. I would look into travel insurance in this situation. Plus I am a little late to get anything at GC for this trip.

It sounds like I could talk myself into DLR if I could find a screaming deal but it seems like that is hard to come by. I am willing to splurge a little, just can't do a lot right now. If someone sees a good deal for February please post the info.
Decisions. Decisions.
The most important thing is we are going to make our son very happy!
 
We are staying at DLH for the first time next week (we arrive Monday about noon!). We have never been able to afford it before and didn't think it mattered since we just showered and slept in the hotel. But I got a travel voucher from my work and the tiny AP discount we got made it so that DLH is cheaper than Tropicana.
Of course, next week might change all that. :)
 
We've never stayed onsite, but have thought about it before.

What is the average cost? I know in the past when I've checked it really scared me off. :eek:



I saw a post somewhere recently that gave some prices that weren't as bad...I think gay day rates...but when you go for 10 days to 2 weeks at a time, its a lot.

and what is the senior citizen rates. We;ll have my mom with us the last few days so maybe she'll spring for a couple of days at the resort. She's got more $$$ to burn than I do. ;)

You might want to consider the DVC Rent/Trade board, and get a villa at the GC by renting DVC points. That might really be worth it.
 

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