Booking 7 months at VGC

[MilesMouse]

We just bought into DVC a few weeks ago and are really excited! Just reading through forums has been really helpful and so many of you have awesome advice.

My question is that we're planning to go to DL in fall of 2019 (probably extremely busy to do SW opening) so the availability at 7 months at VGC would probably be spotty at best. We're only planning a couple of days since an entire week isn't necessary out there. The DCV sales rep mentioned that even if things are full at VGC that they would still find a way to accommodate us at one of the other DL property hotels. Has anyone found that to be true? Or perhaps, giving some best advice in a similar situation?

 

[Lauren in NC]

VGC goes very quickly - here's historical booking patterns for the resorts: Predicted DVC booking patterns - Studios & 1-bedrooms (June 2018 Update). If you bought direct, I'd ask if they can help you make your first reservation at VGC, as sometimes DVC has their own points they can use. Otherwise, he's probably talking about using your points to stay at the Disneyland Hotel, which is a horrible use of your points, money-wise. You'd be better off renting them out and then using some of that rental money to pay the cash rate.

 

[LYSE]

Like Lauren said..they'll find a way...and that way may include using way too many of your points.

 

[Frederic Civish]

I have stayed at Grand Californian by exchanging DVC points for a regular room (through the Disney Collection). And I have used DVC by going online and booked 2 bedroom suites, twice, both of them exactly at the 7 month window. (Because my home resorts are in Disney World.)

It is NOT a good use of points to do it through the Disney Collection. I have done 2 regular hotel rooms that way, at 3 days each, and if you assume that each point is worth $15 (because that is what you can rent them for), then the effective cost was 340 points, or $5,100 total or $2550 for each room. (Again, that was for 3 days each. What the cast member was talking about when they said that they would 'accommodate you in one of the other hotels' was for you to use your DVC points through the Disney Collection, and, instead of staying at Grand Californian, staying at Disneyland Hotel or Pixar Pier Hotel (or whatever they are currently calling them). Those hotels cost a bit less, in points or in cash, than the Grand Californian, but they are still very point expensive. Frankly, I have a vacation scheduled there about mid-November and I will be staying at Pixar Pier Hotel and paying cash. I didn't rent out my points to get the money to do that, but that is something I will probably do in the future, and you should consider it, too. It is more cost effective.

If you want to get Grand Californian through DVC, then I suggest you go online at 7:45 AM Eastern Time, on the day you want to do it, and be signed on and ready to search as the clock rolls over to 8 AM eastern time. You will only have a few seconds, literally, to get a Studio or a 2 Bedroom Lockoff. I was unable to do that, so I got a regular 2 bedroom the 2 times I did it. A 1 bedroom MIGHT be available for a bit longer.

One other thing, and I almost hate to mention this: If your dates are very important to you, then you might do the 7:45 AM Eastern Time thing every day, starting about 5 days before you plan to stay. Keep trying until you pick up what you want. And then 'walk' it into the time frame/days you want. I hate giving people ideas, but it is possible. How much do you want it?

Grand Californian is amazing and wonderful. If you use Disney Collection points, ask for the Brisa Courtyard. But it IS NOT EASY or cheap. If you book an actual DVC room, those rooms are on the other end of the hotel (NOT near the Brisa Courtyard) and might overlook the pool, some nice trees, the road, or across the street to the other hotels.

Here is a picture from our hotel room, looking out into the Brisa Courtyard

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We just bought into DVC a few weeks ago and are really excited! Just reading through forums has been really helpful and so many of you have awesome advice.

My question is that we're planning to go to DL in fall of 2019 (probably extremely busy to do SW opening) so the availability at 7 months at VGC would probably be spotty at best. We're only planning a couple of days since an entire week isn't necessary out there. The DCV sales rep mentioned that even if things are full at VGC that they would still find a way to accommodate us at one of the other DL property hotels. Has anyone found that to be true? Or perhaps, giving some best advice in a similar situation?

Your guide was referring to trading into the DL hotels via the Disney collection. Goodness they made that sound like something special for you!

The point requirements are higher than DVC resorts as Disney adjusts them as they feel the need. 1 thing about DL is that they do not charge the normal $95 fee and the rule of 4 does not apply. You can find the point charts on the member website under the Disney Collection.

However, at DL, there are also many offsite locations and some are actually closer to the front gate than the DLH or PP and maybe even GC so compare the value of using your points for a DL hotel trade vs cash for offsite and possibly renting your points if you don't manage to get into VGC.

I know I'm planning on a later 2019 trip with our VGC points and I'm guessing I'm not the only owner doing that so I expect late next year to be even tighter than normal at VGC.

 

[MilesMouse]

I really appreciate the feedback.

Sounds like we'll cross our fingers for the 7 month booking window and try to be flexible with dates. I've rented points for myself once before but never tried selling so I assume it probably isn't too difficult to figure out after doing a little homework on it.

 

[zavandor]

DVC can arrange what's called "welcome home reservation", ie for the first reservation they can help a new owner to book a stay pulling back a room from cash inventory. I would ask your guide to help you secure this reservation. It is way too early to do so, but maybe he could put you on a waitlist or he could ask DVC to block a room using their points and then transfer that reservation to you later (you can only book VGC at 7 months and they can pull a room back from cash inventory only if a room is in that inventory for the dates you're looking for). This is a bit bending the rules, but you've paid a premium to buy your contract, try to leverage this one time bonus if possible.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

DVC can arrange what's called "welcome home reservation", ie for the first reservation they can help a new owner to book a stay pulling back a room from cash inventory. I would ask your guide to help you secure this reservation. It is way too early to do so, but maybe he could put you on a waitlist or he could ask DVC to block a room using their points and then transfer that reservation to you later (you can only book VGC at 7 months and they can pull a room back from cash inventory only if a room is in that inventory for the dates you're looking for). This is a bit bending the rules, but you've paid a premium to buy your contract, try to leverage this one time bonus if possible.

If I recall that is restricted to the first 6 months after you purchase. Plus - they actually don't turn over VGC for cash reservations. Either way, it isn't going to work for this booking.

 

[CookieandOatmeal]

When we bought into the Poly (direct) and had a reservation at the DL Hotel already, we asked if they could help us get a reservation at VGC. Our guide said that he could get us a reservation at most resorts but not VGC because it was so small.

 

[Dean Marino]

We just bought into DVC a few weeks ago and are really excited! Just reading through forums has been really helpful and so many of you have awesome advice.

My question is that we're planning to go to DL in fall of 2019 (probably extremely busy to do SW opening) so the availability at 7 months at VGC would probably be spotty at best. We're only planning a couple of days since an entire week isn't necessary out there. The DCV sales rep mentioned that even if things are full at VGC that they would still find a way to accommodate us at one of the other DL property hotels. Has anyone found that to be true? Or perhaps, giving some best advice in a similar situation?

Right off - what home resort? PLEASE - always buy where you wish to STAY. Only your HOME Resort may be booked at 11 months.

Now - GF at Disneyland, for a NON HOME owner is next to impossible to get, at 7 months. Sorry - but true. "Owning" DVC at another Resort really does not get you into the OTHER resorts, depending on where they are . This is sort of one of the "Great Lies" about DVC.

Reference - DFC owners, BRV, and we book our HOME RESORT at the 11 month point . THIS WORKS. 7 months elsewhere? I wish you the best of luck.... .

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

 

[CaliAdventurer]

Your best luck at VGC is going to always be a 1bed. I’ve been fairly lucky but expect that all the end when SW land opens. The secret to DVC for us was the willingness to use book the rooms left over at 7. We don’t do studios unless it’s poly and we’re haooy to take a lake view. If you don’t mind using points in that way, you can get lucky most of the time. But VGC ... hmm. I’m hoping but assuming those days are soon gone. I’m not in the market for any more points but I would buy a new DLR resort direct in two shakes. More wishful thinking : )

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Just to add a bit on how the villa size and time of trip can matter. At the moment for most of April, which is in the 7 month window still has full availability for 2BR's at VGC and much of it for 1BR's. Late Feb and early March has almost 2 weeks of availability for 2BRs. But studios, not so much. There's a handful of days in April, 1 or 2 in March and that's about it for the 7 month window. I'm also seeing many more days already booked up during the 11 month window than has happened in the past.

 

[MilesMouse]

Right off - what home resort? PLEASE - always buy where you wish to STAY. Only your HOME Resort may be booked at 11 months.

Now - GF at Disneyland, for a NON HOME owner is next to impossible to get, at 7 months. Sorry - but true. "Owning" DVC at another Resort really does not get you into the OTHER resorts, depending on where they are . This is sort of one of the "Great Lies" about DVC.

Reference - DFC owners, BRV, and we book our HOME RESORT at the 11 month point . THIS WORKS. 7 months elsewhere? I wish you the best of luck.... .

All personal opinion - I'm not necessarily right, no one else is necessarily wrong.

We bought at CCV, which we couldnt be happier about and enjoy it a lot. Trips to DL aren't something we do frequently and when we have we've stayed off property. We may be doing that again next year, just was curious about others' experiences when trying to book GC.

The most likely plan is seeing what's available at 7 months and waitlist/check if something opens up, and if not, we'll sell or bank points by our deadline to use towards our 2020 summer trip (Sept is our UY). Just to make sure we're doing it right, we can bank 2018 UY points into 2019 that has to be used before the 2020 UY starts?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The most likely plan is seeing what's available at 7 months and waitlist/check if something opens up, and if not, we'll sell or bank points by our deadline to use towards our 2020 summer trip (Sept is our UY). Just to make sure we're doing it right, we can bank 2018 UY points into 2019 that has to be used before the 2020 UY starts?

Your Sept 2018 points could be used for stays from Sept 1, 2018-Aug 30, 2019. If you bank them into your 2019 UY hten they can be used for stays from Sept 1, 2019-Aug 30, 2020.