Hard time deciding how many points we truly need.

[AstroBlasters]

Do those garden studios overlook the pool area? I'm super sensitive to noise so I worry that would be a problem for me.

Yes.

 

[Wedgeout]

I was able to get one night in July in a Garden Room. I hope I don't get addicted to them.

You will most likely get hooked but if the hot & cold water work properly, you most definitely will.

 

[Wedgeout]

Do those garden studios overlook the pool area? I'm super sensitive to noise so I worry that would be a problem for me.

Yes, they are like an ultimate pool cabana. Will be part of the action by day and a whole different experience after hours. Peaceful and awesome lighting at night.

 

[cruisehopeful]

Yes, they are like an ultimate pool cabana. Will be part of the action by day and a whole different experience after hours. Peaceful and awesome lighting at night.

I'm hardly ever in the room and I am not sure I'll get the whole experience. Part of me is even considering just bringing some friends and staying at the resort without going to the park.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Yes, they are like an ultimate pool cabana. Will be part of the action by day and a whole different experience after hours. Peaceful and awesome lighting at night.

Ah....that sounds like a nightmare for me. I don't ever want to be a part of the action anywhere.

 

[Wedgeout]

I'm hardly ever in the room and I am not sure I'll get the whole experience. Part of me is even considering just bringing some friends and staying at the resort without going to the park.

That’s the mindset needed at times here. Until one experiences the stay at the Disneyland Hotel Resort, they won’t know and it can’t truly be explained. It’s much more than an attached entrance to a park & outstanding lobby and structure. The grounds, eating options, lounges..really a self contained oasis. If have a Magic Key, the parks become secondary to the stay.

 

[Wedgeout]

Ah....that sounds like a nightmare for me. I don't ever want to be a part of the action anywhere.

Come on!! I know YOU CAN DO IT

 

[Canchaser143]

Ah....that sounds like a nightmare for me. I don't ever want to be a part of the action anywhere.

We love the Garden Rooms, the balconies are a gem! The Palette Pool definitely does not get as crowded as the Grand Cal , or even the Monorail Pool/Eticket side. Far from a raging party lol They did have live music, one night it was more Jazz the next night was a bit more wedding singer type. Never felt too loud, or too much bass! On a different note I will say that the fireworks are reallllllllllllll loud depending which way your room is facing.

 

[ClaraOswald]

We love the Garden Rooms, the balconies are a gem! The Palette Pool definitely does not get as crowded as the Grand Cal , or even the Monorail Pool/Eticket side. Far from a raging party lol They did have live music, one night it was more Jazz the next night was a bit more wedding singer type. Never felt too loud, or too much bass! On a different note I will say that the fireworks are reallllllllllllll loud depending which way your room is facing.

I can tolerate fireworks (and WOC over at VGC) because it's pretty short and I know the end is in sight.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Oh man...I decided to run some different scenarios with various amounts of points from different resorts and now my head is spinning!

If we were to have our 160 at VGC, 200 at BRV, and then get 150 at VDH....we end up with a surplus of points at VGC and VDH way too often.

So then I thought...what if we ditched 150 of our BRV and then used the excess at the other resorts to book at BRV at the 7 month mark? But that almost did me in trying to work it all out...figuring out which contract to pull from and which UY to take from and when to bank, etc. I thought, well...maybe it would be easier to ditch all 200 BRV. Then get 50 extra at VGC and 150 at VDH. But even that made my head explode. I'm sure either of those things would be doable but I'd lose my mind in the process and it would make planning vacation way less enjoyable.

The reality is that there is no perfect option. In my ideal world, we'd we super rich and I'd just buy a bunch of points and a bunch of resorts. But that's not possible.

Part of me hopes we hate VDH when we visit because that will make our decision easier. (Though my husband did seem a bit excited about the lounges...ha!)

 

[cruisehopeful]

Part of me hopes we hate VDH when we visit because that will make our decision easier. (Though my husband did seem a bit excited about the lounges...ha!)

I don't think you'll hate it. I love it even though I prefer VGC. The overall hotel has stepped it up with the new places to eat, the Broken Spell lounge and room service. I've only stayed in the studios and I like the layout just a little bit better than VGC. I don't like the little bit of the extra walk and that the spa is way over at the Grand (), and paying TOT at checkout, but it truly is a beautiful tower and the rooms are very comfortable.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Yeah, I'm wondering how bad the extra walk will be in the summer heat.

We used to stay on Harbor and even though it's a shorter walk then even VGC, it seemed horrible in the blazing sun. I seem to do better getting to VGC since more of the walk is in the shade and then on hotel grounds. But when I watch videos of the walk to VDH, it does seem long.

 

[Wedgeout]

Don’t fry the brain over it. 160 is pretty good to work with at VGC. We have 155 at VDH and have managed points staying 5 nights in a two bedroom. Most of our stays are in a Duo. I would not dump the BRV. That’s a great one to hold. We have 225 resale from BCV which is great for stays there & using elsewhere. Pooled those once so far staying at Aulani 8 nights in a two bedroom.

If I had the funds with your California stay plans. I’d keep the 200 & 160 then add 160 (not 150) at VDH. That way my two Disneyland contracts would look cool in the dashboard each at 160. Then alternate the California stay planning between each or split stay them.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I would for sure wait until you have seen VDH and experienced the walk. You can get more points for your money at VDH and then you can also use them for restricted resorts in the future which I have realized is a huge benefit and something people shouldn’t be overlooking. But if you don’t like VDH then it becomes less of a decision. I honestly wouldn’t even bother looking at listings for VGC until you have been to VDH.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Don’t fry the brain over it. 160 is pretty good to work with at VGC. We have 155 at VDH and have managed points staying 5 nights in a two bedroom. Most of our stays are in a Duo. I would not dump the BRV. That’s a great one to hold. We have 225 resale from BCV which is great for stays there & using elsewhere. Pooled those once so far staying at Aulani 8 nights in a two bedroom.

If I had the funds with your California stay plans. I’d keep the 200 & 160 then add 160 (not 150) at VDH. That way my two Disneyland contracts would look cool in the dashboard each at 160. Then alternate the California stay planning between each or split stay them.

The whole reason we want more points is to get into a 1-bedroom each trip. We really want the extra bathroom, washer/dryer, bigger kitchen area. Plus, at VDH, you get a balcony in those rooms. So 160 really isn't enough, in the long term, for the amount of trips we like to take. We would never (and can't) stay in a duo. And if we wanted to stay in a studio, we'd just keep our 160. But our son has special needs and we will be traveling as a group of 3 adults when he's older. Yes, a studio is totally doable. But we'd prefer not to be in one. Sure, we'd tolerate it once in a while...which is what we're doing right now. However, the long term is to get us into a 1-bedroom. (At WDW, we may actually end up in 2-bedrooms since we don't travel there as much.)

I really think we will end up choosing 150 points at VDH or 50-100 more at VGC. My cheap-self is thinking 50 at VGC would probably be plenty and then we aren't adding a bunch of yearly dues. But...the "you only live once" version of me thinks we should do more.

Disneyland Forward does make VDH more appealing because even though the walk to the park right now is further, there's potential for VDH to basically be "inside" the parks in the future.

We hope to keep traveling to Disneyland even when we are old. Of course, no one knows what the future holds for our health. But, thinking optimistically, I could see us continuing to go into our 70s. (I will likely be in a scooter by then.) So DF should definitely happen sometime in our lifetimes! (We are in our 40s now.)

Anyway...just babbling. I suppose another option would be to go with my cheap thoughts and just get a 50 if it pops up. And then, if we decide we want to travel more in the future (10+ years from now), add VDH at that time (price will be crazy, I'm sure!)

I would for sure wait until you have seen VDH and experienced the walk. You can get more points for your money at VDH and then you can also use them for restricted resorts in the future which I have realized is a huge benefit and something people shouldn’t be overlooking. But if you don’t like VDH then it becomes less of a decision. I honestly wouldn’t even bother looking at listings for VGC until you have been to VDH.

Yeah, that definitely is appealing. When our BRV expires, I'll be 61 years old. I'm guessing we will still want to visit WDW but maybe not as often as DLR. So I could see us using VDH points out there once in a while. Especially if we like the looks of Lakeshore Lodge. Or if they re-open BRV. I don't see us buying anymore WDW points after our BRV expire so having some direct points would definitely come in handy as all the OG resorts start to expire.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Yeah, that definitely is appealing. When our BRV expires, I'll be 61 years old. I'm guessing we will still want to visit WDW but maybe not as often as DLR. So I could see us using VDH points out there once in a while. Especially if we like the looks of Lakeshore Lodge. Or if they re-open BRV. I don't see us buying anymore WDW points after our BRV expire so having some direct points would definitely come in handy as all the OG resorts start to expire.

It will also open up more options to stay at DLR in the future. The great thing about direct is you dont have to decide now or really in way advance. If you decide you need points tomorrow you can get those points tomorrow, no 3 month plus waiting game like with resale. Then they can also book a welcome home stay which requires less advance notice. So I would go see how you feel about it then decide if it's in your future or if you should still watch for VGC contracts. I dont love VDH honestly but I am glad I have points there.

 

[NVDISFamily]

@ClaraOswald I love seeing how many of the things you can't put on a spreadsheet are starting to impact your thought process.

The lounge at Disneyland is awesome. I'm not saying we'll have it forever, but while it lasts.... it makes my trips to Disneyland a bit more magical every day.

Although I have a stronger emotional connection with VGC/GC, there is something that really makes me happy at VDH/DH. Have you seen the short Once Upon A Studio, how did you feel when Mickey stopped to say high to Walt's photo and Feed The Birds started to play. Knowing that DH is the original Disney Hotel Resort and although he worked with a friend/partner to build it, Walt was still there. There is a small bit of that feeling as I walk around the DH property that makes the restrictions, the TOT, all of the weirdness go mostly away. It has it's own charm and it feels special to me and my family.

This madness we obsess about is fun. Although if my dreams and career ambition go well I'll likely own a bit more VGC than VDH, I'll continue to add on at VDH direct or resale over the years too. I'll live in a garden Studio with @MrsNVDISFamily for a few weeks a year when we retire easily

 

[sethschroeder]

Could you just do the Disneyland stay every other year? So that way you can bank and borrow? Would 2 years worth of points be enough to get the 1br?

Realistically you would have to determine how much you want to go. As your son gets older as well are you going to want to do other trips outside of Disney? Don't forget about that possibly filling up space your family calendar especially as they start to get busy with school and such.

 

[VGCgroupie]

@ClaraOswald I love seeing how many of the things you can't put on a spreadsheet are starting to impact your thought process.

The lounge at Disneyland is awesome. I'm not saying we'll have it forever, but while it lasts.... it makes my trips to Disneyland a bit more magical every day.

Although I have a stronger emotional connection with VGC/GC, there is something that really makes me happy at VDH/DH. Have you seen the short Once Upon A Studio, how did you feel when Mickey stopped to say high to Walt's photo and Feed The Birds started to play. Knowing that DH is the original Disney Hotel Resort and although he worked with a friend/partner to build it, Walt was still there. There is a small bit of that feeling as I walk around the DH property that makes the restrictions, the TOT, all of the weirdness go mostly away. It has it's own charm and it feels special to me and my family.

This madness we obsess about is fun. Although if my dreams and career ambition go well I'll likely own a bit more VGC than VDH, I'll continue to add on at VDH direct or resale over the years too. I'll live in a garden Studio with @MrsNVDISFamily for a few weeks a year when we retire easily

Im going to look up the short. The lounge at DLR is so so good.

 

[NVDISFamily]

Im going to look up the short. The lounge at DLR is so so good.

I'm not crying..... it's allergies I swear......