******Official DLR May 2021 Check In Thread*******

[FinnFogg]

We are booked at VGC May 20-25. Bit the bullet re flights earlier today as the cyber Monday deals were to good to pass up. Hopefully it all works out. If not, I guess I’ll have another flight credit to add to my wallet.

 

[Oscar923]

VGC 2-bedroom for Memorial Day weekend (5/29 - 5/31). This is for my girl's birthday. We have decided to go even if DL remains closed.

 

[AZMermaid]

Party at the VGC! We are pretty sure we will still go even if the parks closed too. We will likely drop one night and still do one resort day and then take a beach day.

 

[BP Roo]

We are booked in a VGC studio for May 2-8. This is a rescheduled trip from September 2020 and will be our first stay as DVC members. Still holding off on purchasing the flight from KC to LA even though this trip is totally going to happen and I am definitely not thinking about contingency plans

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Tentative date for Bats Day 2021: May 2!

http://www.batsday.net

 

[upritbass]

VGC May 19-22. Hoping hoping hoping this will happen after 5 canceled trips. Also have reservations for mid-April.

 

[AZMermaid]

VGC May 19-22. Hoping hoping hoping this will happen after 5 canceled trips. Also have reservations for mid-April.

I’m with ya! Ive cancelled so many I lost count. I’m really hoping things start turning g in the next month or so, for many reasons, but this is a big one!

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Update from CHOC Walk 2021:

New Virtual Walk dates & deadlines

From the bottom of our hearts, we’d like to thank our CHOC Walk family for the overwhelming support you’ve shown—it’s been a year of tremendous change, but we’re grateful to be getting through it, together. As we continue to look out for one another, we felt it was best to move our Virtual Walk to Saturday, May 22, out of respect and care for our community. We appreciate your understanding! With this new event date, the deadline to register to receive your items before the event is now extended to Wednesday, April 7 – which gives you more time for your CHOC fundraisers! Visit the Event Info page below to stay up to date on the latest details, and be sure to confirm your address and tshirt size before the deadline by clicking here.

 

[nssmum]

Crossing my fingers for 5/7-5/10. My birthday is on the 10th and I've always wanted to be there for my birthday.

 

[taaren]

From the DLR Reopening Speculation thread:

Cedar Fair's CEO Richard Zimmerman in a recent earnings call was asked about his confidence in their May 22nd reopening date for Great America in California they named (and all their various parks around the US) and he replied by saying "I think we believe we can get all of our parks reopened, and we tried to pick days that that we thought made a lot of logic given the likely unfolding of the recovery in each of the states." That feels a little reminisce of last summer in California when theme parks didn't have the green light and announced their reopening dates. However, I think Zimmerman's confidence that "all" their theme parks including Knott's can open by May is a good sign of what's to come for them and therefore, Disneyland. He went on to say "I would term all of the conversations, even in California, very productive. We understand where we sit in the phase reopening of each of the economies, and we're working cooperatively and collaboratively with all the jurisdictions and all our industry partners to make sure that we move forward as quickly as is prudent. " Definitely lots of interesting bits of news coming out!

I've been trying to get my Memorial Day weekend reservation back for months now (long story, been holding earlier weekends in May by constantly checking availability), and was finally able to snag Fri-Sun in a studio! We'll be going regardless of the park opening, since my 2019 points expire on May 31. Still hoping a wait list will come through so we can have either Sat-Mon in a 1 bedroom or Fri-Mon in a studio, but whatever we get it would be amazing if the parks end up being open too.

 

[AZMermaid]

Hey Mayzies.... Lets start a Question of the Week! Anyone can ask- on Monday-ish. So.... this week.... what‘s your favorite Disney snack?

For me... I’m going to go classic, Mickey Bar, especially in warm weather. The race to eat the chocolate before it drops off. So good.

 

[taaren]

Hey Mayzies.... Lets start a Question of the Week! Anyone can ask- on Monday-ish. So.... this week.... what‘s your favorite Disney snack?

Our favorite snacks tend to be seasonal (they had this single portion banana cheesecake at Holly Jolly in 2019 that was to die for!!!), but of the permanent snacks, the first place we head to eat every trip is the Mint Julep bar for those beignets and whatever the julep flavor of the season is. Often we pick one ride in Tomorrowland, go get our beignets, then Big Thunder ... They count as breakfast right?

 

[AZMermaid]

Yahooooo! We will be at VGC in May!

Phased Reopening of Disneyland Resort
The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa is currently scheduled to reopen beginning May 2, 2021. While the Disney Vacation Club Villas will open for Members and their guests, the rest of the resort, as well as The Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, remain closed for normal operations. The Downtown Disney District is open with select shopping and dining experiences. We invite you to visit Disneyland.com for the latest details about the phased reopening plans for Disneyland Resort.
As we continue to work towards reopening, promoting health and safety for our Guests and Cast Members is a top priority. Our gradual, phased approach to reopening considers the guidance of government and local health authorities, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in addition to the U.S. Travel Association and the Disney team of health professionals. Learn more about the reopening of The Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian Hotel & Spa.

 

[AZMermaid]

Our favorite snacks tend to be seasonal (they had this single portion banana cheesecake at Holly Jolly in 2019 that was to die for!!!), but of the permanent snacks, the first place we head to eat every trip is the Mint Julep bar for those beignets and whatever the julep flavor of the season is. Often we pick one ride in Tomorrowland, go get our beignets, then Big Thunder ... They count as breakfast right?

I‘ve never had the beignets!

I’m with you with the seasonal stuff. I had a macaroon at the Holiday festival that was outstanding! But some stuff looks prettier than it tastes!

 

[upritbass]

Yahooooo! We will be at VGC in May!

We lost our April trip (that makes 6 canceled trips) but our May trip is good to go. Yay!

 

[taaren]

Wow, availability at the VGC went fast. I checked at midnight night before last to look for my Memorial Day, there was about half the dates in May available. I checked again after the announcement and there were single nights here and there in studios, a few more in the larger villas. By the evening, everything was booked solid through mid-August. Owners must be moving reservations around a lot because I had 2 wait lists come through yesterday (one is for a July reservation that I'm not sure if I want a 1 bedroom or studio yet ... leaning towards 1 bedroom but the points are just so high during the summer, dithering since we could get another trip in spring of 22 out of the extra points. Going to hold on to both until there's a park opening announcement, or June, whichever comes first).

Unfortunately it means I now have a studio from Fri-Sun, 1 bedroom Sun night (I gave up the 1 bedroom Sat night I had because I wasn't certain that night would come through) of Memorial Day weekend. I'm wait listed for a 1 bedroom Saturday night, wondering if I should wait list for a studio Sunday night but if they match at the same time then I have the opposite problem ... Its like playing Tetris with hotel reservations. I'd like 2 nights in a 1 bedroom or 2nd choice 3 nights in a studio, but none of those have been available at the same time. First world problems I'm glad to have, because I'll be at Disney regardless, but a nailbiter nonetheless.

 

[mamapenguin]

I hope this means other things will be opening soon after. I think I might go if things open up soon. Who am I kidding? I’d probably go anytime that I could put a trip together.

 

[AZMermaid]

I had that happen for my daughters dance trip last year. We only get 4-5 months notice. I stalked and snagged one day in a studio and on night in a 1BR. I never was able to get two of the same so we had to switch rooms. It wasn’t ideal, but not too bad.

 

[taaren]

I had that happen for my daughters dance trip last year. We only get 4-5 months notice. I stalked and snagged one day in a studio and on night in a 1BR. I never was able to get two of the same so we had to switch rooms. It wasn’t ideal, but not too bad.

Oh man, I probably would have just stayed off-site. That down time in between check out and check in is when we are in the room/resort the most. We like to rope drop, get a bunch of rides in, grab an early lunch on our way out of the park around 10:30 or 11, then enjoy the pool and the room (while grabbing MaxPasses for the evening) until around sunset, then head back into the park, have dinner and ride rides until we're tired and usually end up back in the room to enjoy World of Color and/or fireworks (although our teens are opting to stay later for several "one last rides" as they get older and want more independence). I can see two nights in two different size rooms working if you're out of the room for an event.
Since the worst-case scenario in the current plan is having 2 nights in a studio, I'll be happy with that and I'll just cancel the 1 bedroom at 31 days out if the Saturday night doesn't come through. Might even be a good excuse to rent a poolside cabana on check out day [if those are available]. Before the pandemic a cabana rental was on our list of things to try on check-in day.

 

[AZMermaid]

A cabana day sounds awesome!

We tend to be rope drop through dinner time people, although we did break and go back the second day because our ROTR time was like 9PM. It was actually fine on switch day, our room was ready before we even needed it! On check in day, we were dying to rest around 3:30 so we headed for the lobby to wait. Still no text at 4:15, so we went to Whitewater (or whatever it’s called now). Of course 5 min after ordering, the room was ready, haha! But I had the most amazing poke bowl, so it was worth it!