Disney's Grand Californian

[makthompson]

Hello, I have been a DVC member since 2004. We have never had a hard time getting into DGC at 7 months out, however the last two years we can not get in, everything is gone. There is no other DVC there so it doesn't make sense to go to either of the other hotels since points are soo much higher. My question is, How can we buy a contract there so we can book at 11 mo out, and is it hard to get in at 11 months? Any help is appreciated.

 

[skippytx]

You can talk to a guide and put yourself on the waitlist for direct points, or you can buy a contract from a DVC resale broker. There's a few VGC contracts out there right now. DVCresalemarket has quite a few right now.

VGC as you probably know is very small and demand is high, hence difficulty booking. 11 months out can even be tough during peak demand

 

[mustinjourney]

Direct points at VGC are currently $260 per point. Resale contracts typically go for around $180-$200 per point. If you want to stay at VGC regularly -- I'd highly suggest getting a contract there as the 7 month availability is extremely tight for studios.

See this post for a handy visual on availability.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/p...drooms-june-2018-update.3689931/post-59393366

 

[DebbieB]

The only time I've seen studios go at 11 months is for D23 weekend. I had a 1 bedroom August 18 to 22 last week, booked at 7 months. I pulled together 3 nights in a studio last October by wait listing 1 night at a time, starting about 2 1/2 months out, was shocked I got it. It started out just Friday night, came through, so I wait listed Thursday, came through, then wait listed Wednesday. I had Sunday to Friday nights booked at Paradise Pier, on cash, so I cut it down to Sunday to Tuesday.

I've been thinking of a 100 point add-on. Could kick myself for not buying when it opened.

 

[Disney Dad ADL]

If you can do 1 bedrooms or 2 bedrooms, your luck might be a bit better. There is some availability in March right now.

Otherwise, yeah you would probably need to buy on the resale market. Just look at any reputable DVC reseller. I've never heard of anyone actually being able to buy VGC direct, but can't say for sure, so you could always ask a guide.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Disney don't do much ROFR on VGC so they don't have to deal with California. It's resale if you want VGC.

 

[ELMC]

My understanding is that they will not let you join the waitlist for VGC points.

 

[TexasChick123]

I bought VGC resale for $165pp a few months ago. It would save almost $100pp to go resale. Happy hunting.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

I've owned at VGC since before it opened. There's almost no issues booking at 11 months save the previously mentioned D23 time and studios can go fairly quickly for the Candlelight Processional weekend in Dec. Resale is the direction to go vs the outlandish direct VGC price.

 

[ELMC]

I sold my VGC contract last year for around $190 a point, stripped. We loved owning there and loved staying there, but for once every two years the math simply did not make sense to us.

 

[GoingSince1990]

I'm very happy now that I bought into VGC via resale in 2013-2014 at about $125 per point. Obviously much more expensive today at about $200 per point but given the scarcity value I would expect the value to continue to appreciate. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see resales going to $300 per point or higher over the next few years.

 

[FireflyTrance]

I love owning at VGC. I used to stay offsite, but staying at VGC gives you the feeling of being in the magic the entire time. It's near impossible to purchase direct. Purchasing resale can also be difficult because contracts can sell quickly. There aren't that many contracts because there aren't that many rooms relative to other DVC properties. You can sign up on resale sites to get alerted when new contracts become available.

 

[FireflyTrance]

One other thing. I don't think the new resale restrictions matter much at VGC. If you're buying at VGC you should use the points at that resort. So not being able to book future DVC resorts isn't that big of a deal.

 

[ELMC]

I'm very happy now that I bought into VGC via resale in 2013-2014 at about $125 per point. Obviously much more expensive today at about $200 per point but given the scarcity value I would expect the value to continue to appreciate. I wouldn't be at all surprised to see resales going to $300 per point or higher over the next few years.

I'll feel really dumb if that happens.

 

[montreid]

I see values about 170-180 right now of VGC on the listings though the reporting on the superthread reflects a little higher, but above post mentioned 160. So much variability... still debating on VGC vs waiting for subsidized AUL -- can probably use plenty of both but don't mind offsite stays for our DL experiences. For D23 much rather be right there at Hilton/Marriott than VGC.

 

[DebbieB]

My understanding is that they will not let you join the waitlist for VGC points.

I got a call from a new guide about a month ago. I mentioned I was interested in VGC and asked if I could buy for the same $188 per point (I knew I couldn't but I wanted to see what he would say). He told me he could put me on the waitlist for $260. I said no, don't bother.

 

[ELMC]

I got a call from a new guide about a month ago. I mentioned I was interested in VGC and asked if I could buy for the same $188 per point (I knew I couldn't but I wanted to see what he would say). He told me he could put me on the waitlist for $260. I said no, don't bother.

Thanks, this is new information. For awhile there they were telling people that the wait list was closed. My guess is that was before they upped the price to $260pp.

 

[Bing Showei]

Thanks, this is new information. For awhile there they were telling people that the wait list was closed. My guess is that was before they upped the price to $260pp.

I’m convinced there is no central “waitlist” that guides “add people to” but rather, depending on the commitment of the guide, a willingness to track a central inventory, keep track of their clients, and notify them that points are available to purchase.

Some have speculated that the “waitlist” is a post it on a guide’s monitor bezel. If I were a betting man, I’d wager that is closer to reality than we realize.

 

[stuartsong]

I think buying resale will be cheaper, even if it's at $180 - $200/pt. It's also quicker than being put on the waitlist.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I think buying resale will be cheaper, even if it's at $180 - $200/pt. It's also quicker than being put on the waitlist.

Yes. Disney don't seem to ROFR VGC. I suspect VGC points are mostly obtained via foreclosure, and that's probably not ultra-frequent given that Disney hasn't been selling it. Foreclosure by Disney would have to be on non-payment of dues, and that's just sloppy, given how easy VGC is to rent at 11 months at a premium to cover.