Anyone use DVC pts at Disneyland?

[Disney*All-Stars*]

Just wondering if anyone used their DVC points at one of the Disneyland Hotels. I would like to know exactly what to expect in the room (e.g., microwave, refrigerator, what floors??). I am interested in The Disneyland Hotel. They haven't opened reservations yet for DVC members for next year and we are planning on going in February. Any ideas when they might begin?

 

[zeets1]

We just used our points at the Disneyland Hotel and it was great (July 7th -13th). The rooms were large and recently renovated. You can walk to the parks and Downtown Disney is at your doorstep. It was well worth the points. California is great in the summer time versus Florida with the humidity. There was no microwave in the room but there was a refrigerator.

I highly reccommend it.

 

[bnlbebes]

My wife and I stayed at the Disneyland Hotel last year using DVC points for 3 nights. We loved the atmosphere, but imagine that it must be even better now as back then there was tons of construction going on for CA Adventure. And staying at the Disneyland Hotel is an even better deal on points than it was last year! The pools are impressive, but the restaurants are ridiculously overpriced. We didn't eat on the hotel grounds once except to grab a quick pastry for breakfast every morning.

Staying there was definitely a highlight of our CA trip. I highly recommend it!

p.s. Make sure you request a "park view" so that you can watch the fireworks from your balcony.

 

[wfbnancy]

We were told that your DVC points are only for standard rooms and that other types would be available for extra points. Does this apply to the park view that you mentioned? What Tower would you suggest? We are traveling with small children and seniors. Thanks

 

[AZKathy]

We stayed at DLH in May 2000 with points. We were in the Sierra tower facing the pool area/waterfalls. The waterfall was absolutely wonderful to listen to, but I did have trouble with the water show that played at 8,9, and 10 pm every night with the same songs that were loud. If you or your family are early bedders, you may want to ask for another building.

The room was nice and big with a wet bar area with fridge. No microwave.

 

[teri]

I guess I will be the lone dissenter. I love the Disneyland Hotel, it is a wonderful place to stay in Anaheim. But I would not do it again on points unless I was going to lose those points before I could get back to WDW. You can get some pretty nice room rates through Disney Club, Disneyland Annual Passholder discounts, and AAA discounts. Those discounted rates are sometimes much better than the cash value of the points you would use to stay at any of the 3 onsite hotels at Disneyland. There are also occasional deep discount 'you snooze- you lose' rates through online services such as Travelocity. If I were you, and I were thinking about going to Disneyland and Disney's California Adventure, I would check other options besides using your DVC points there. It costs you nothing to check room rates through Dreams Unlimited, the travel agency associated with this site, and also to check through CRO at Disneyland for AAA discount room availability on the nights you want to stay. And check Travelocity, and other sites like it. Then compare, and see which is the better value.

I go to Disneyland a few times a year, I only used points once, when I was a newbie to DVC. I
ALWAYS try to stay onsite, and have gotten rates of $150 a night onsite within the last year by the above method.

 

[TnRobin]

We did DL, but stayed at the Grand Californian. We loved our room. We had a king size bed, while Matthew had a set of bunk beds. This opened up the floor space quite a bit. In addition, we loved the turn down service at night and the newspaper in the AM. Plus the bath robes were a nice touch. Our favorite thing about the GC was Pinnochio's Workshop - the kids club. Matthew begged to go back a second night. For some reason it is only availbale to GC guest. The manager said it had something to do with CA daycare laws. PW is the only kids club at DL.

We had a 5th floor - courtyard view of the monorail garden. It was really nice.

We would probably do it again sometime because I will never be able to pay the cash price for the room at the GC.

 

[sueg]

We decided to use pts for a 3 nt. stay in GC to end our 10 day Cal. trip. Our decision to use pts came mainly from the fact that the Cal. trip is replacing our annual end-of-Aug. trip to HH. So using pts. seemed like the natural choice. We also ended our trip at DL (rather than starting there) because the pts. went down slightly at the end of Aug. However, we debated adding a nt. at GC to allow us to go to an Angels game the nt. before DL. Since the pts used for hotels are a special transfer i.e. if you cancel a ressie, the pts. go into a special holding account w/ some usage restrictions, I wanted to be sure before adding the nt. I posted a question about the Angels game on the DL Bd. and got a suggestion to explore the Hilton in Orange. I added the nt there for $119/nt. lg. corner room w/ a special kids packge for my DS(7); custom made (not buffet) breakfast included. Its a three block walk to the ballpark. In conclusion, I think the decision to use pts. is very personal. You can do very well on prices in Anaheim hotels, but if you want the Disney experience, using pts. is a good way to go. I don't think we would have stayed at GC for $$$, because this 10 day trip has alot of lodging expenses and I tried to set some limits on per nt. prices

 

[Disney*All-Stars*]

Thanks for all the info. It has really helped. The suggestion about looking into discounted rates is a good idea. Using our points is the way we might have to go though, and will check into a Marriot or Hilton the night we arrive at a lesser rate (under a hundred bucks). Still curious if any rooms come with a microwave--along with fridge and wet bar.

 

[ceejay13]

This is a tough question. We stayed at the GC on points on January right after it opened. We asked for a room upgrade and got a DD view right over the World of Disney store. We returned in May and also stayed at the GC but paid cash this time. I am an absolute fan of the GC. I would use points again if I wasn't going to use them at WDW. You do get a better deal using them in Florida as far as room size, etc. We have stayed at the DLH in the past and thought it was wonderful, as well. This last trip in May, however, we paid for a theme park view and had a 3rd floor room at the GC, looking right at Grizzly Peak. It was incredible. We have also stayed off site and I agree you can get some great deals. For us, with the resort expansion, it has become more like Florida where you get that special magic when you stay on property. Whichever you choose, you will still have a great time!