Does anyone own at DisneyLAND?

[DMP]

We are west coasters and are curious if anyone owns DVC at Disneyland... Or if anyone owns in Florida but uses it in California. Peeking at the resales, I don't see any in California - if anyone can suggest reseller in California, I'd love the referral.

Thank you!

 

[DebbieB]

There is no DVC property at Disneyland.

 

[DMP]

There is no DVC property at Disneyland.

LOL! Really? We were just there and the DVC booths were *everywhere* - so, they were all booking points at other home properties?

So... here is my silly question (and I did read the FAQ) - are all points created equal? It seems that my best bet would be to buy the least expensive points I possibly could... since there would be no real home court advantage, so to speak...

Thank you for your help!

 

[DebbieB]

The booths are probably trying to sell ownership at SSR. You can use your points at the Disneyland Hotel or the Grand Californian but you get your best value at the DVC resorts. If you are not planning to go to WDW, Hilton Head or Vero Beach, it's probably not the best deal for you at this point. I wouldn't be surprised to see DVC build in California but nothing has been announced.

 

[1000th happy haunt]

A point is a point, and you can spend it any way you choose. The only difference is the cost you pay to buy points, and annual maintenance fees.

Right now SSR has the lowest maintenance, and the longest value. SSR expires in 2054, and the rest of the DVC resorts end in 2042.

But it's not a good use of points to spend them at non-DVC properties. A week in a DVC studio during Adventure season (the least expensive season) runs from 80-104 points (55 points for HHI). A week at a Disney hotel in Anaheim during value season costs from 161 to 371 points.

 

[m4travel]

since there would be no real home court advantage, so to speak...

Yes, indeed, they have sprung up all over DLR. We had never been to WDW, never been on a DCL cruise, hadn't even been to Florida, but ended up buying DVC while at Disneyland. The Fastpasses they gave us for spending time at the sales center are now framed in Disney colors and hanging in the entryway as 'The World's Most Expensive Fastpasses.'

And you're only partially right about the home court advantage. True, there is no HCA re: west coast vs east coast, but many people on the disboards will advise that you purchase at the property where you like to stay. You can book at your home resort 11 months before your check-out day. You can book at other resorts 7 months before your check-out day. If your favorite resort is one of the smaller ones and/or you like to go during high season, it's often wiser to purchase resale than to purchase the least expensive or the one with the best deal and hope to book at the 7-month window.

That being said, we did purchase at SSR because that was where the best deal was. And we promptly purchased an add-on contract at SSR a month later when the Family & Friends deal came along. We had no problem using our SSR points to book at OKW during January. And since we tend to travel at low-season times, we don't expect to have problems booking into the resort we want when it's open for booking with another resort's points.

However, you will read lots of posts from those who are trying to reserve at smaller, popular resorts during popular seasons who are having no luck. 'Buying where you want to stay' is still good advice.

 

[DMP]

LOL, Marc!

'The World's Most Expensive Fastpasses.'

Thank you for your insight - we are still considering purchasing, though our primary use would be at DLR. We would occasionally go to Florida (though the difference between 2 hours flying and 7 is significant) and likely go on a cruise, as well... I can't imagine that our home resort would make an enormous difference if we only use it every 5 or 6 years, though...

The funny thing is that we bought at the Boardwalk on our honeymoon (8 years ago, this week) and then reconsidered and opted out. I guess we should have kept it. ;-)

 

[ACDSNY]

We're west coasters that use our points at WDW at DLR. Our WDW trips are at least a week due to the time we lose traveling and our DLR trips are usually 4 nights. We usually have between 6-12 family members traveling, and go at once a year or two.

 

[JudyS]

A point is a point, and you can spend it any way you choose. The only difference is the cost you pay to buy points, and annual maintenance fees....

I have to disagree here. DVC owners get first crack at reservations at their home resort (11 months out). They can reserve at other DVC resorts only later (7 months out.) Unless you are reserving at your home resort, it can be very hard to get certain room types (GV, BW Standard view) and certain dates. At the smaller resorts (BCV in particular), you may have a limited choice of dates if you don't own there.

 

[allison k]

Just an FYI - Currently, there is a 15% off promotion for DL annual passholders. I think it ends in April.

 

[Doug Wolfe]

Back in the mid 90's DVC announced a new resort for California not far from DisneyLand. If memory serves me correct they even purchased the property for this resort.

Somewhere along the way the project was canceled and the real estate was eventually sold to the Marriott Vacation Club if I am not mistaken.

You can use your points at DL hotels, but as another poster stated, it would not be the best use of your points. Hopefullly one day in the future we will see a DVC resort at DL.

 

[Nimblethimble]

IMHO, the "West Coast DVC property" is just like the "third Disney Cruise line vessel".....

....nothing more than a proverbial rumor on these boards!

 

[Terry S]

Just my opinion and from "hints" from DVC reps at Disneyland, but my bet is that a DVC wing will be added to the Grand Californian. I mentioned that space is a problem and the women just made the comment "did you see where they built Grand Californian? They can be very creative about where there build things around here, there is still a few parking lots available that they can build on".

 

[Nimblethimble]

Just my opinion and from "hints" from DVC reps at Disneyland, but my bet is that a DVC wing will be added to the Grand Californian. I mentioned that space is a problem and the women just made the comment "did you see where they built Grand Californian? They can be very creative about where there build things around here, there is still a few parking lots available that they can build on".

If I had to bet, I'd definitely roll the dice against the CM you spoke to.

If you look at a map of the Disneyland resort and the location of the Grand Californian, there's really no space immediately next to the hotel for them to develop. Directly to the north is Downtown Disney. Directly to the East and South is the California Adventure theme park.

Yes, there is a small parking lot directly to the West, but it's not really one Disney could sacrifice. It's the only parking the GC has, and is a critical "buffer" between the GC and the Disneyland hotel (if it was developed , the building on it would directly abut the Disneyland hotel, giving the whole resort a "Manhattan" feel I think Disney is trying to avoid). Plus the views from any of the villas would stink (primarily parking lots and bus loading areas). DVC isn't going to kick off a West Coast strategy with a property overlooking that sort of urban squalor!!

 

[SpacemanSpiff]

I would like to see a breakdown of DVC ownership based on regional dispersal. Watching the DVC promotion DVD, I noticed that about 95% of the interviewed families lived east of the Mississippi River - IMO being that close to WDW makes the deal much sweeter than living 3500+ miles away. I have been looking into in DVC purchase since last November (will probably make my purchase this or next week) and personally the biggest hold-up has been travel from my home in Seattle to Orlando. Not only is it an expensive trip to FLA once or twice a year, it is a LOOONNG plane ride. I would much prefer to go to DisneyLAND every other year inplace of going to WDW due to the close proximity to the pacific northwest combined with the ability to drive down every once in awhile visiting family along the way (much like the Griswolds). We are infrequent travelers but use our airline miles card as a 'debit' payment system for nearly *everything* we purchase (including our rent) which would soften the blow of the long trip however a better system of DVC points at DL would have made my decision much easier. That being said, we still are going to buy into DVC and HOPE that sooner or later DVC will make a presence in sunny SoCal.