Adding on...Question about GFV

[BenDiscipio]

With all due respect....the VGF and the OKW are not even in the same discussion....Frankly, there's not another DVC that can compare to the GF...even when the Poly opens, that will remain the case. It is the top of the line. If the point costs per night were the same or even close to some of the other resorts, you would NEVER get into the place. They priced the point costs appropriately because it is the top of the line resort in the DVC family, by a good margin.

Now, you can say you prefer other resorts for whatever reason, but if you are looking for luxury, convenience, amenities, and room appointments, there is no comparison....right now, nor I'd wager in the future. That's the way Disney wants it.

If you didn't buy VGF because you wanted the Ritz of DVC, then you made a mistake.

You say that people talked the same way about the other resorts when they opened? Really? They said SSR was the flagship resort? They said BLT was the flagship resort? I don't know anybody who ever liked the Contemporary. When I was paying OOP, I would sometimes consider it because it was always the monorail resort that was discounted.... The whole charm of the Contemporary is that the monorail runs right through the center of the hotel. BLT isn't there....it's essentially the garden tower, which was ALWAYS available before it was converted to DVC.

This is the Grand Floridian. Look, if you think OKW is the bees knees....that's great. If you're cheap and are looking for a cheap vacation, which is funny because people are usually responding to me that DVC people are well off and money is no object, lol....I find it interesting how everybody likes to define who DVC people are....never the same.

To each their own, but I'm guessing that most buyers of VGF are people who love the Grand...of which there are many....and their only fear is that they won't be able to get the room they want when they want it at 11 months. Why would I use my VGF points to rent at a lesser resort? I'd be better off renting them...for $14-17/point and renting last minute points for a cheaper resort for $8-10/point and take my chances close to the time I'm traveling. In most cases, 30 days out, I can still get a room at OKW, SSR, AKV, and others....

It might be fun to change things up sometime....but I bought at the Grand and I want to be staying at the Grand in most circumstances. I bought enough to stay every 2 years and I doubt I'll bore of it quickly with that frequency.

As I said, get back to me at 3 years....we'll compare notes.....

 

[bumbershoot]

You say that people talked the same way about the other resorts when they opened? Really? They said SSR was the flagship resort? They said BLT was the flagship resort? I don't know anybody who ever liked the Contemporary.....


To each their own, but I'm guessing that most buyers of VGF are people who love the Grand...of which there are many....and their only fear is that they won't be able to get the room they want when they want it at 11 months. Why would I use my VGF points to rent at a lesser resort?...

Considering I bought Bay Lake when it was new, yes, people thought it would only be possible to get in there easily if you bought there. We bought there b/c it was between BLT and AKV; I liked how Bay Lake looked and DH liked how AK looked but I won. And it turns out we SHOULD have just bought OKW or BWV because having stayed at a few places, those are the places we, so far, love the most. And we don't love OKW because it's "cheap", but because we find it to be lovely.

FWIW after seeing pix of GFV, we would LOVE to stay there. But I would not EVER stay at the GF. I go there for Tea and that's it. Don't like the lobby, don't like the elevators, the stairs are at funny heights for my natural step, the giftshop people are nice but the spaces are meh. Having seen pictures of the GF hotel rooms, I'm not inspired to stay there. But I do love how the villas look.


So your views on how things should be used, or why people are doing what they are doing, aren't totally correct for everyone.


BUT I do agree that if you're buying there you should stay there, and I think you should use that advantage of booking times. It's why we likely won't buy there. We cannot afford to buy as many points as we would need to stay as often (and long...most of our trips tend to be 2 weeks long thanks to homeschooling and DH's lovely workplace vacation allowances and his grueling work schedule) as we would like. So we see no point in buying there at all, since we would just end up frustrated.

 

[lodge]

This is what I suspect. I suspect that GFV owners will be a lot like the many of rest of us. "Wouldn't it be fun to take Grandma and Grandpa on a trip with us" -).

Naw, g&g can buy their own villa rental!

 

[crisi]

You say that people talked the same way about the other resorts when they opened? Really? They said SSR was the flagship resort? They said BLT was the flagship resort? I don't know anybody who ever liked the Contemporary. When I was paying OOP, I would sometimes consider it because it was always the monorail resort that was discounted.... The whole charm of the Contemporary is that the monorail runs right through the center of the hotel. BLT isn't there....it's essentially the garden tower, which was ALWAYS available before it was converted to DVC.

Yes, yes, and yes. Its actually sort of funny how much you sound like SSR owners sounded eight years ago.

We stay at BWV, its home. I like VWL. I'm not an OKW or SSR fan, I like the interior hallway resorts. We don't find the MK that appealing any more, so there isn't that much of a draw to the MK resorts, other than VWL because we like the resort itself. And I do think watching animals out your window is something special, but I've done it, I'm not sure I'll do it again. I'm sure GFV will have its fans, and its detractors.

I think GFV studios will be harder to get - they sleep five and that is a plus. But then, as we've been discussing in the other thread, a lot of people like value, a studio at GFV is 21 points in August (chosen because that has been the month I've traveled), its only 14 in a BWV Standard View, 17 in a Preferred View or at BCV or VWL, and 13 out at OKW. Unless you have that fifth person, staying at GFV is sort of like upgrading to a one bedroom - expensive and not really needed. With five you could upgrade to a one bedroom for 6 points from the GF studio to a OKW one bedroom - get more than twice the space, a full kitchen, a laundry room bigger than mine at home and a Jacuzzi tub - you can't take the monorail to the MK.

Frankly, I don't think people care that much about furnishings, and if history holds, we will start hearing about how trashed GFV looks in another six months. Little kids spill juice, luggage dings up walls.

I could be wrong, I'm just saying it wouldn't surprise me if it were easier to book than we anticipate due to the point premium - during the first nine months of the year. The last three are always tight - they've even been tight out at the huge SSR in some years - particularly when it first opened and people wanted to try it. But right now, there is no way I'd spend what Disney is selling the resort for on the chance its hard to book.

 

[Dean]

With all due respect....the VGF and the OKW are not even in the same discussion....Frankly, there's not another DVC that can compare to the GF...even when the Poly opens, that will remain the case. It is the top of the line. If the point costs per night were the same or even close to some of the other resorts, you would NEVER get into the place. They priced the point costs appropriately because it is the top of the line resort in the DVC family, by a good margin.

Now, you can say you prefer other resorts for whatever reason, but if you are looking for luxury, convenience, amenities, and room appointments, there is no comparison....right now, nor I'd wager in the future. That's the way Disney wants it.

If you didn't buy VGF because you wanted the Ritz of DVC, then you made a mistake.

You say that people talked the same way about the other resorts when they opened? Really? They said SSR was the flagship resort? They said BLT was the flagship resort? I don't know anybody who ever liked the Contemporary. When I was paying OOP, I would sometimes consider it because it was always the monorail resort that was discounted.... The whole charm of the Contemporary is that the monorail runs right through the center of the hotel. BLT isn't there....it's essentially the garden tower, which was ALWAYS available before it was converted to DVC.

This is the Grand Floridian. Look, if you think OKW is the bees knees....that's great. If you're cheap and are looking for a cheap vacation, which is funny because people are usually responding to me that DVC people are well off and money is no object, lol....I find it interesting how everybody likes to define who DVC people are....never the same.

To each their own, but I'm guessing that most buyers of VGF are people who love the Grand...of which there are many....and their only fear is that they won't be able to get the room they want when they want it at 11 months. Why would I use my VGF points to rent at a lesser resort? I'd be better off renting them...for $14-17/point and renting last minute points for a cheaper resort for $8-10/point and take my chances close to the time I'm traveling. In most cases, 30 days out, I can still get a room at OKW, SSR, AKV, and others....

It might be fun to change things up sometime....but I bought at the Grand and I want to be staying at the Grand in most circumstances. I bought enough to stay every 2 years and I doubt I'll bore of it quickly with that frequency.

As I said, get back to me at 3 years....we'll compare notes.....

Interesting. It will not be impossible to get into the GF just like it isn't impossible to get AKV concierge 7 months out but it will be tough much of the time. However, the idea that it's the best resort and everyone wished they owned there is simply not accurate. Some love the GF and some hate it and many are neutral. GF will also go into RCI in a few years as well.

3 years is likely too short a time, 5 years will be a better tell once basically all new owners have been able to get a couple of trips under their belt. For experienced owners they likely will follow your thoughts, for new buyers, not nearly so much in all likelihood but off season is still off season. As for comparing VGF, OKW and others, they are a lot different. Each resort has it's positives and negatives.

And to answer your question, many SSR buyers from a few years did sound much the same though maybe not as strongly realizing it was a large resort.

 

[BenDiscipio]

You're confusing what I'm saying. SSR owners may have thought they bought into the bee's knees, but nobody in their right mind thought that SSR was the Flagship resort of Disney.

Grand Floridian, whether it's a resort you like or a resort you hate....is, empirically, the flagship resort of Disney. Nowhere, however, have I said that everyone wants to stay there. I'm saying those looking for a premium resort...the Ritz of Disney....are going to want to stay there...

Those two factors....the flagship resort of Disney where multitudes spend VERY large dollars to stay at....and the smallest WDW resort.....combine to make VGF a very good purchase. And, in fact, perhaps the most cost-saving DVC purchase...if, in fact, you are a Grand Floridian type of person. The prices to stay in the new Villas OOP are very very high and that disparity makes it a very good investment in short order....

It will also make it a hot DVC commodity and, I believe, a very hot rental for points as well...once it sells out, it will be near impossible to get any studio at 7 months. 2 bedrooms will be right there as well. Sure, if you're willing to travel when park traffic is lightest might offer some opportunities for availability. But if you're someone who wants to stay there more than just this year and perhaps during the quietest times....or if you always get a 1 bedroom....you'd better buy into VGF or you'll be shut out.

It certainly won't work to buy SSR points....unless where you want to stay is SSR, AKV, OKW, etc....

 

[Dean]

You're confusing what I'm saying. SSR owners may have thought they bought into the bee's knees, but nobody in their right mind thought that SSR was the Flagship resort of Disney.

Grand Floridian, whether it's a resort you like or a resort you hate....is, empirically, the flagship resort of Disney. Nowhere, however, have I said that everyone wants to stay there. I'm saying those looking for a premium resort...the Ritz of Disney....are going to want to stay there...

Those two factors....the flagship resort of Disney where multitudes spend VERY large dollars to stay at....and the smallest WDW resort.....combine to make VGF a very good purchase. And, in fact, perhaps the most cost-saving DVC purchase...if, in fact, you are a Grand Floridian type of person. The prices to stay in the new Villas OOP are very very high and that disparity makes it a very good investment in short order....

It will also make it a hot DVC commodity and, I believe, a very hot rental for points as well...once it sells out, it will be near impossible to get any studio at 7 months. 2 bedrooms will be right there as well. Sure, if you're willing to travel when park traffic is lightest might offer some opportunities for availability. But if you're someone who wants to stay there more than just this year and perhaps during the quietest times....or if you always get a 1 bedroom....you'd better buy into VGF or you'll be shut out.

It certainly won't work to buy SSR points....unless where you want to stay is SSR, AKV, OKW, etc....

No confusion, and I don't think most disagree with you in principle. Where I disagree somewhat is with the intensity and absolute nature of your statements. People will be able to get in at times, even for high season, but it will be hit or miss. I would agree that it would be a poor choice to buy elsewhere wanting VGF most trips but the reverse is true as well. From a cost and reasonableness standpoint, those that buy SSR really should be planning on staying most trips there. Even then, what you say will be true owning there just as you say for non owners.

I doubt it will be as hot as you think rental wise due to the higher costs but we will see. It certainly won't be a good choice to buy in to rent out because of the higher buy in costs and higher points costs.

That GF is the Disney flagship hotel does not automatically make it the same for DVC. It may be, we'll have to see and even if it is for now, the Poly may replace it due to the view and unit options. Not that it really matters to most buyers. Again, I think you overestimate it's importance and demand to a degree but the end point may be the same due to the small size, time will tell.