"Now for something completely different...has anyone been to
Disneyland???? I believe we are going to go in August. We have a trip planned to Vero and WDW then, but it looks like I finally convinced DH to try Cal. instead. Anyone??? I was there once in 2001, so obviously it's been awhile... We will be staying at the Paradise Pier Hotel so that we can use our Dvc points."
DLR is like our second home; we have been AP holders for the past few years and our main DVC membership is at Grand Cali (love!). We go as frequently as possible and were last there in February but have been averaging about 5 trips per year (and we live in Canada, so this is no small feat).
We have never been to WDW so I can't give you any sense of comparison. You will most likely find DLR very small - we love it because we know it very well. Good friends of ours (also from Canada, also AP holders at DLR) went to WDW for the first time in January. They enjoyed their stay, but their observation was everything takes so much longer in WDW because it's busier, and it's bigger, so it takes a long time to get around to everything, even just transporting from the hotel to the parks each day.
We have stayed at PP and was lovely; it's not DVC resort quality (e.g., BIG difference from there to Grand Cali villas), but we were treated very nicely. We stayed there because we wanted to use DVC points and could not get in at GC. We ate at the restaurant off the lobby (can't recall, but I think it is Goofy's Kitchen) and had decent food for a reasonable price (burgers) and nice service - can't complain.
Do take a wander through the GC - it is a beautiful property and it is a serene place to walk around after all the chaos in the parks. And if you have any DLR questions, please ask away!