Disneyland on Points Question

[KelNottAt]

I don't have my guidebook with me so I was just looking at the member website. Regarding "Disney Collection" reservations, the site says:

60 day rule applies
All reservations are subject to availability.
If payment of fees is not received at the time of confirmation, Disney Vacation Club reserves the right to cancel the reservation.
Some Reservation Points charts may not be available at the 11-month booking window.
A non-refundable $75 transaction fee applies per confirmed reservation through Disney Cruise Line®.

So, is there a fee for using points at a DL hotel? I see $75 for DCL, but no direct reference to DL. The other sections of the page (World Passport, Concierge and Adventurer Collections) all mention transaction fees. But this DL/DCL section is a little confusing. (Sorry for being so dense.)

I was thinking about staying at one of the DL hotels for 2 nights prior to our cruise in June. Assuming the points required are per room, not per person, we would spend
59 for Paradise Pier
70 for DL Hotel
81 for Grand Californian

What would we be missing if we chose Paradise Pier? Would Grand Californian be worth the extra 22 points? Can anyone offer any opinions? We're mainly looking for shelter and a swimming pool before the cruise. Visiting a DL park is unlikely.

We are myself, DH, DS12, and DD10. Thanks.
Kelley

 

[disgirl]

Hi! No, there is no transaction fee for the DL Resort hotels, using points. We just stayed at the Grand Californian at the end of August for four nights. It cost us 172 points for a pool, park view. I have never been to any of the other hotels so I can not compare, but I can tell you, we loved the GC. Was it the best use of our points, financially, probably not. However, we had a fantastic stay there and thought the hotel was beautiful. Having an entrance right into the CA park and into Downtown Disney, was so convenient. My son is 11 which I see is right in between your children's ages. He loved the pools there and the convenience of all the parks and Downtown Disney to the hotel. I hope this helps you somewhat.

If you want to find out more information on the Paradise Pier and DL hotels, give the Disneyland forum a try. Since your main concern is a shelter and a nice pool, maybe the other hotels would be better for you, to save some points. Good Luck in your decision making. If I can answer any more questions about the GC, feel free to ask.

Patty

 

[rinkwide]

Originally posted by KelNottAt
We're mainly looking for shelter and a swimming pool before the cruise. Visiting a DL park is unlikely.

All three hotels are nice and, unlike WDW, about a 3 minute walk from each other. You can easily stay at one and sample them all.

I would suggest staying at PP (newly redone pool with roller-coaster themed slide) and rent the points you save to buy 4 passes to the park.

Assuming you've never been before, a one day visit to Disneyland can be very rewarding. Every true Disney fan needs to experience the uniqueness of Disneyland's Pirates, Space Mountain and Matterhorn. The charming Fantasyland is also worth seeing.