California Dreaming

[sbbwdw]

Hi, All! Well, we are yearly WDW travelers and while I am thoroughly disgusted with nearly every announcement Disney has made of late, I need a trip to plan. Having a trip on the books gives me something to look forward to. We had planned to take our 2 high schoolers to Cali for is for the first time next spring. After all the recent announcements I kind of put it on the back burner, but am starting to take a peek at options again.

My husband and our 2 high schoolers have never been to the West Coast. I have been numerous times for work and even convinced some coworkers to join to me in DL for one day/night a couple years ago. We stayed at the Grand Californian and I loved it. We got a little discount and split it so it was really reasonable.

My question is this. Since prices for 2022 dropped this week I took a look at a couple nights mid week in early June at GC, $800 a night! As lovely as it is, that just seems ridiculous. DL Hotel is slightly better but not by much. Can anyone tell me if they think discounts will be available then? In an ideal world, if things were “normal” is this usually a time for discounts at DL resorts? Are there no balconies at DL Hotel? Is the convenience for the park entry at GC a big game changer for you? Would just love to hear anyone’s thoughts about the pros/cons between the 2 or any advice at all. Also, if you book the trip through Disney do you pay the $200 deposit and can make payments like we do with WDW or do you pay in total at time of booking?
Thanks so much!

 

[cruisehopeful]

Can anyone tell me if they think discounts will be available then?

I don't think there are discounts in June. If there are any, it would likely be for Mon-Thurs. Somewhere around here, there's a thread to past discounts. If you don't book a package and just book the hotel now, you can always cancel and rebook if a better rate comes up. Also, you may want to consider looking at renting DVC points from an owner. You need to do that more than 7 months in advance and you can't change your plans later, but it may be a lower cost than a regular hotel room.

In an ideal world, if things were “normal” is this usually a time for discounts at DL resorts?

I do not believe so. I am pretty sure once Memorial Day hits, it's full steam ahead.

Are there no balconies at DL Hotel?

I have seen posts here saying that there are some balconies. I don't know which room types they are. I have never had a balcony, but I do remember seeing some corner rooms a couple decades ago that had balconies that faced a water show that was happening way back then.

Is the convenience for the park entry at GC a big game changer for you?

Yes. It's not the entry, it's the exit. First thing in the morning the normal front gate usually moves faster than the GC entrance. When you ride Grizzy Rapids and are soaking wet, you just walk right into your hotel and change your clothes. Also, when you are exhausted at the end of the day and are stuck in a slow moving sea of people, you can duck out to your hotel and avoid the zombie people.

Also, if you book the trip through Disney do you pay the $200 deposit and can make payments like we do with WDW or do you pay in total at time of booking?

I don't know about that since I don't book packages. I book the hotels by themselves and am charged one night's fee at the time of booking with the rest due when I check in/out.

 

[Nonin]

Are you only planning on a Disney trip? California has some beautiful nature and the nature in the northern and southern parts of the state are drastically different. I would stay somewhere like the Candy Cane Inn and see some of the rest of what California has to offer as well. The beaches are very different from the East Coast beaches too. Maybe plan a beach day with some surfing lessons or boogie boarding?There are also areas with hiking, giant sequoias, Lake Tahoe, quaint little towns, bustling cities. I love both north and south having lived in both parts. If you have any questions feel free to message me. I have lived in San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Diego, Los Angeles and now in Santa Clarita.

 

[StormyCA]

Yes, booking a DL package the payment 'rules' are the same as WDW. $200 deposit then pay off 30 days in advance (double check me on that, we always pay it off 2 months ahead of time).

I think if you book separately the 'deposit' for the hotel is one night's stay with the balance due either upon arrival or check out. I'm not sure what the refund policy is for the hotel.

One thing to remember is that at this time all onsite 'perks' are gone. No early entry, no package delivery to the bell desk, bell service is restricted to delivery of luggage to occupied rooms, they will no longer escort you nor enter an empty room to deliver packages. Mousekeeping is limited to towels and trash and a 'wipe down' every two days. Of course, this may change before June or you may not care, but just be aware you're paying full price for 'not full service'.

EMH and package delivery are the main reasons I stay onsite. And the distance of course. So I'm sort of pushing off visiting until I see how the new pass program affects crowds AND reservation availability as well as getting the perks back.

 

[dragonflymom]

For Grand Californian rooms, my recommendation is to rent from DVC owners from the Rent forum here or from the two well-known commercial DVC point rental companies often mentioned on this site as soon as you can pin down your dates outside of the 7-month window. For June next year, a studio that sleeps four is 20 points a night Sundays through Thursdays and 24 points a night Fridays & Saturdays up through 6/26 and then points required go up to 26 points for the remaining 4 days in June. At $20 per point (going rate for VGC), you are looking at just $400 for a room mid-week in June, with no additional taxes, which is a bargain. Anaheim hotel tax alone is 15% before adding sales tax. The downside is that there is little flexibility in changes or cancellations unless you find an owner who is willing to reschedule should your plans change.

Separately, to help save money on my Disney vacations, I am constantly looking out for discounted Disney gift card offers or credit card offers. Thanks to the Budget Board here, I found a Target/PayPal offer yesterday that I was able to combine with my Discover card and ended up buying a $500 Disney gift card from Target for just $427.50. More info here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/u...deals-and-more.3784942/page-207#post-63316231See Post #4134. I had to log in and out of PayPal 3 times before I got the offer.

 

[DizMe]

For Grand Californian rooms, my recommendation is to rent from DVC owners from the Rent forum here or from the two well-known commercial DVC point rental companies often mentioned on this site as soon as you can pin down your dates outside of the 7-month window. For June next year, a studio that sleeps four is 20 points a night Sundays through Thursdays and 24 points a night Fridays & Saturdays up through 6/26 and then points required go up to 26 points for the remaining 4 days in June. At $20 per point (going rate for VGC), you are looking at just $400 for a room mid-week in June, with no additional taxes, which is a bargain. Anaheim hotel tax alone is 15% before adding sales tax. The downside is that there is little flexibility in changes or cancellations unless you find an owner who is willing to reschedule should your plans change.

Separately, to help save money on my Disney vacations, I am constantly looking out for discounted Disney gift card offers or credit card offers. Thanks to the Budget Board here, I found a Target/PayPal offer yesterday that I was able to combine with my Discover card and ended up buying a $500 Disney gift card from Target for just $427.50. More info here:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/u...deals-and-more.3784942/page-207#post-63316231See Post #4134. I had to log in and out of PayPal 3 times before I got the offer.

I've tried logging out and back in but I don't get the offer

 

[dragonflymom]

I've tried logging out and back in but I don't get the offer

The first time I tried it, I was just looking at the landing page, but you need to first click the Deals tab and then scroll through the big window of rotating offers. I then logged out and logged back in two more times and the Target deal came up for me.

I also read on that thread that Chase has a targeted offer for 10% off Best Buy purchases that could be used for gift cards. I did not get this offer but if you have a Chase credit card, you might want to check?
(Sorry OP for going a bit off-topic).

 

[DizMe]

The first time I tried it, I was just looking at the landing page, but you need to first click the Deals tab and then scroll through the big window of rotating offers. I then logged out and logged back in two more times and the Target deal came up for me.

I also read on that thread that Chase has a targeted offer for 10% off Best Buy purchases that could be used for gift cards. I did not get this offer but if you have a Chase credit card, you might want to check?
(Sorry OP for going a bit off-topic).

Thanks, but I tried it multiple times and never got the Target offer to come up. I also tried it on Chase and didn't get it there, either. But thank you again for your help!