SAP+ ?

[WinterSolider]

Oh for sure… but that’s what I’m looking for in Poly is the mid-century Tiki-bar culture feel.

I find the comparisons hard to avoid. Aulani is the theme(ish) of Poly, but done with the care and grandeur of Animal Kingdom Lodge, and with the quality of cast members of Disney Cruise Line.

I still love the Poly, and it's probably my first choice for WDW when I'm not booking something with a kitchen, but I still can't shake the feeling when I'm staying there that "this kind of feels like Aulani but worse."

 

[intamin]

On a separate note my wife and I were looking at BC/BW 2BD, AKV GV (J & K), Polly Bungalows, BLT GV TP, and GF GV last night on you tube.

After the BC/BW, AK & Poly we got to BLT GV TP and she said “now that’s what I’m talking about!”…. then we watched the GF GV and she said “Ok…. well obviously that one is the best…”

So… I think I have my marching orders …

Fortunately for you you’re coming from Aulani which is an extremely point heavy resort as you’re well aware of. BLT GV TPV should be relatively easy to get most times of the year, VGF is probably just a tad bit harder to get at 7 months but not by much because the point charts are a pretty good deterrent.

 

[Dobermanns]

Good to know. Thanks!



How low have people offered? I've already forgotten what my original offer was on the contract we got. Maybe 85 or 90.



Thanks. That makes sense so I think I'll just stick with watching for small BRV contracts.



What's "TP" stand for?

We're throwing around the idea of going to WDW in January 2025. We won't have enough new BRV points to borrow so we might use some overflow VGC points like we did for our trip this year. That means booking at the 7 month window. So I asked my husband to basically rank the DVC options so at the 7 month mark, I'll know what to go for (depending upon availability....which means we'll probably end up at SSR.) We just looked at the studio options and anything without murphy beds was put at the very bottom. So right now, he put GF at the top of his list, just because he likes the transportation options and he thought the rooms looked nice. But I told him we're unlikely to get one. He said "that's probably for the best because we'd likely love it and then want to buy a contract there too!" And honestly...he's not wrong. Ha! We put Poly towards the top of our list as well, again mainly for transportation options. Not sure if I'd ever see us buying there though because it seems less laid back to me and the theme is just "meh" for me.

LOL I think you should put VGF at the top of your list as the resort studios in BPK have two real queen beds which should be better than the murphys. You do give up the kitchenette and the split bath though. And the resort studios usually are available as folks tend to like the deluxe studios better for the split baths.

 

[ClaraOswald]

This reminded me that my “I really don’t care where I stay. It’s just a place to sleep” husband’s interest was piqued when I showed him a video of the bungalow so of course I seized moment to inform him that we shall try it

I love hearing about everyone's moments of realizing they wanted more from their Disney hotel choice. I've said it a million times on this board but for us...it was our stay at the Grand Californian last year. We always stayed in motels on Harbor and I still think that's a perfectly fine choice. We had a lot of good experiences in those places. But one stay at the Grand Californian basically ruined us. Ha!

 

[ClaraOswald]

LOL I think you should put VGF at the top of your list as the resort studios in BPK have two real queen beds which should be better than the murphys. You do give up the kitchenette and the split bath though. And the resort studios usually are available as folks tend to like the deluxe studios better for the split baths.

I watched the video of the resort studios and they had a microwave and beverage fridge so not a massive difference from a kitchenette. My only concern with those is that I heard they can be noisy. But the location of that building looks great! I think it's definitely at the top if it's ever available at 7 months.

 

[WinterSolider]

LOL I think you should put VGF at the top of your list as the resort studios in BPK have two real queen beds which should be better than the murphys. You do give up the kitchenette and the split bath though. And the resort studios usually are available as folks tend to like the deluxe studios better for the split baths.

I think the murphys are very close to the normal beds in terms of sleep quality. They're still kind of a hassle to open and close (and they're kind of ugly to just leave open all day) but the mattresses are real mattresses and MILES better than the old pull-out sofas.

I love hearing about everyone's moments of realizing they wanted more from their Disney hotel choice. I've said it a million times on this board but for us...it was our stay at the Grand Californian last year. We always stayed in motels on Harbor and I still think that's a perfectly fine choice. We had a lot of good experiences in those places. But one stay at the Grand Californian basically ruined us. Ha!

Sigh, that's how I feel about daily housekeeping. There have been times where I've rented out my DVC points to book a moderate resort with cash because I really really like having my bed made every day.

I watched the video of the resort studios and they had a microwave and beverage fridge so not a massive difference from a kitchenette. My only concern with those is that I heard they can be noisy. But the location of that building looks great! I think it's definitely at the top if it's ever available at 7 months.

At non-peak times of year, I've seen pretty good 7-month availability for both Resort Studios as well as Deluxe Studios.

 

[Dobermanns]

I love hearing about everyone's moments of realizing they wanted more from their Disney hotel choice. I've said it a million times on this board but for us...it was our stay at the Grand Californian last year. We always stayed in motels on Harbor and I still think that's a perfectly fine choice. We had a lot of good experiences in those places. But one stay at the Grand Californian basically ruined us. Ha!

LOL our first two trips to WDW we did split stays (All Star and BW on first trip, then GF and YC on second trip) and then I put my foot down and said no more splits! Then we stayed at AKL the third trip and later I stayed at CBR solo, after which I was able to verbalize why I needed deluxe besides the obvious, it was because the non-deluxes have the room door next to the windows so I couldn’t keep the curtains open due to folks walking by in the hallways
By now I had enough data to do my own number crunching. DVC came out ahead even against his 50% off CM discount on lodging. The rest is history

Edited for typos

 

[Dobermanns]

I watched the video of the resort studios and they had a microwave and beverage fridge so not a massive difference from a kitchenette. My only concern with those is that I heard they can be noisy. But the location of that building looks great! I think it's definitely at the top if it's ever available at 7 months.

I was in one last Oct/Nov. Honestly it was pretty quiet.

 

[ClaraOswald]

I think the murphys are very close to the normal beds in terms of sleep quality. They're still kind of a hassle to open and close (and they're kind of ugly to just leave open all day) but the mattresses are real mattresses and MILES better than the old pull-out sofas.


Sigh, that's how I feel about daily housekeeping. There have been times where I've rented out my DVC points to book a moderate resort with cash because I really really like having my bed made every day.


At non-peak times of year, I've seen pretty good 7-month availability for both Resort Studios as well as Deluxe Studios.

I'll keep my fingers crossed then!

We are the opposite with housekeeping. I actually don't like people touching my bed. So just getting fresh towels on day 4 is perfect for me.

I wonder if the mattresses in the resort studios are the same as BRV. Because I actually HATED the regular mattress and was miserable the 1 night I slept on it. It was too soft/lumpy for me. I preferred the murphy and slept on it the rest of the trip. (I'm a bit nervous about our first VGC stay this summer since it's just the 1 bed plus a pull-out couch. But hopefully the mattress on the regular bed is comparable to the one on the hotel side of the Grand Cal because I like that one.)

 

[ClaraOswald]

LOL our first two trips to WDW we did split stays (All Star and BW on first trip, then GF and YC on second trip) and then I put my foot down and said no more splits! Then we stayed at AKL the third trip and I stayed at CBR solo, after which I was able to verbalize why I needed deluxe besides the obvious, it was because the non-deluxes have the room door next to the windows so I could keep the curtains open due to folks walking by in the hallways
By now I had enough data to do my own number crunching. DVC came out ahead even against his 50% off CM discount on lodging. The rest is history

Nice! Every year or so, I'd do brief math on DVC (before I ever REALLY learned how it worked) and it never made sense when I compared it to to staying off-site at Disneyland. But then we decided the extra cost was worth it and that DVC was more affordable than staying cash each trip. For WDW, we did POR and Pop Century in previous trips and I think we'd be fine doing mod/value there still if we hadn't crossed over to being DVC people.

 

[Dobermanns]

I'll keep my fingers crossed then!

We are the opposite with housekeeping. I actually don't like people touching my bed. So just getting fresh towels on day 4 is perfect for me.

I wonder if the mattresses in the resort studios are the same as BRV. Because I actually HATED the regular mattress and was miserable the 1 night I slept on it. It was too soft/lumpy for me. I preferred the murphy and slept on it the rest of the trip. (I'm a bit nervous about our first VGC stay this summer since it's just the 1 bed plus a pull-out couch. But hopefully the mattress on the regular bed is comparable to the one on the hotel side of the Grand Cal because I like that one.)

I like my mattresses on the firmer side (that’s why I stopped staying at BWV due to the soft/old? mattress but looking forward to trying out the refurbished villas) and I think the VGC ones (both studio and one-bedroom) are fine. Can’t speak to the sofa beds though as I have never tried it.
VGF resort studio beds felt good to me too.

 

[tidefan]

Haha I knew asking for one thing was going to be impossible. This is great, thank you! I’m gonna tick off as many of these as I can, most of these were already at the top of my list.

Also I know we’re veering far from the thread subject so I won’t ask more after this but since I’ve got you here lol… what ride do you all rope drop or make your first G+? I know my game plan at WDW but I have no idea what’s most popular in DL does it make sense to park hop if it’s our first time or should we focus on 1 park each day? Sadly, Incredicoaster is down for refurbishment next week so I assume that will put even more pressure on Radiator Springs so I’m sure we’ll prioritize that in DCA (is there an ILL for Radiator Springs?) I’m also ok skipping rides that exist on both coasts (except the few that I’ve heard better/different in DL like Pirates and Space Mountain, etc).

As far as food, we were planning to just snack around most of the day, heard very good things about the QS and snacks around DL. We might sit down for 1 proper meal but I didn’t want to take too much of the day at a few full on sit down restaurants, unless there was something we can’t miss.

Also, I looked up to see if there were any dessert parties available after reading your mention about it @AstroBlasters and surprisingly one of our nights had availability so I quickly booked that! We’ve never done one before so I’m not sure what to expect but if it made your top DLR list then it’s gotta be worth it.

Thanks for taking the time to give me your recommendations and tips. I’m currently reading through a bunch of threads about first time Disneylanders and studying the MDE map to know a little but where I’m going lol (@Chili327 I love the idea of taking the train around park when we first get in to take it all in and get our bearings) I swear going to Disney is like being back in school with the amount of homework we have to do. At least the results are fun

Just wanted to throw in my $.02 ...

One of our favorites at DCA is the Monsters Inc. Ride. Yes, it's not an e-ticket, but we love riding it every time we visit CA!

 

[MerlinandtheMouse]

I’d recommend watching Fresh Baked Disney’s YouTube channel and looking for the Rope Drop strategies.

The train is as old school Walt as it gets!!

I definitely would get hoppers, sometimes, you’re just in the mood to switch gears, also sometimes park hours make you wish you could hop.
And yes prioritize Radiator Springs Racers (Rope drop or ILL if it’s ugly).
I don’t use G+ ever, so can’t help, but agree with Astro, FreshBakedDisney is your channel.

Is Lunar New Year still going on? Food booths are great, if so!

That’s perfect thank you! I love a new YouTube channel to dive into

Peter Pan is one of the rides at Disneyland that always has a long wait. Plus it doesn't have Genie+. It's not that much different than WDW, if I remember correctly. So not sure how much of a priority you'd want to make that. But definitely make time for all of the other Fantasyland rides. That's the area we really missed when we were at WDW - Alice, Mr. Toad, Snow White, Pinocchio, Storybook Canal, Casey Jr. Also, the Tea Cups are so pretty at night!

I think riding the Train around is a wonderful idea though I don't think I'd rope drop it.

I would also definitely get park hoppers. We essentially treat both parks as just 1 big park. And now you can park hop after 11am so it's not too bad. Did you mention where you're staying? I can't recall.

Peter Pan is just that ride isn’t it? Haha I’ve read it’s pretty similar to WDW so we’ll probably skip that this time. Fantasyland a must I’ve wanted to do Mr. Toad forever and the Storybook Canals forever

I haven’t mentioned where we’re staying. I have a night booked at the Camelot Inn? In case we want to stay for the night but we’re staying with family for the week and they live about 25-30 mins away from DL so contemplating if it’s worth it to move to the hotel for a night. They’ll be joining us the first day but not the second. I also want to do the other extreme and book a night at Grand Cal Hotel because I’m a fiendish little Disney monster that likes to be immersed in Disney property lol but it’s sooo wasted when it’ll only be 1 night and we’re going to be in the parks all day.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Yeah...honestly, probably not worth the cost if you aren't going to really utilize the hotel. But you can definitely wander through the lobby at least. Especially easy if you just go through the DCA entrance/exit to take a quick walk around.

 

[AstroBlasters]

That’s perfect thank you! I love a new YouTube channel to dive into


Peter Pan is just that ride isn’t it? Haha I’ve read it’s pretty similar to WDW so we’ll probably skip that this time. Fantasyland a must I’ve wanted to do Mr. Toad forever and the Storybook Canals forever

I haven’t mentioned where we’re staying. I have a night booked at the Camelot Inn? In case, we want to stay for the night but we’re staying with family for the week and they live about 25-30 mins away from DL so contemplating if it’s worth it to move to the hotel for a night. They’ll be joining us the first day but not the second. I also want to do the other extreme and book a night at Grand Cal Hotel because I’m a fiendish little Disney monster that likes to be immersed in Disney property lol but it’s sooo wasted when it’ll only be 1 night and we’re going to be in the parks all day.

I think the difference in DL fantasy land attractions is that Walt Disney rode on them…. something special about that….

 

[Chili327]

LOL I think you should put VGF at the top of your list as the resort studios in BPK have two real queen beds which should be better than the murphys. You do give up the kitchenette and the split bath though. And the resort studios usually are available as folks tend to like the deluxe studios better for the split baths.

VGF p0int chart is a lot higher though, isn’t it?

Sigh, that's how I feel about daily housekeeping. There have been times where I've rented out my DVC points to book a moderate resort with cash because I really really like having my bed made every day.

But not just making your bed.. right?? Rack rate to have your bed made sounds insane to me. lol
I usually hang the do not disturb sign on the door and never take it off until I check out. DVC doesn’t let me do that, but for hotel stays I do.

 

[WinterSolider]

But not just making your bed.. right?? Rack rate to have your bed made sounds insane to me. lol

No no no, I would never pay cash rather than points just for housekeeping. But when I stay on points, I often pay extra for housekeeping (when it's available). So that changes the math I have to do when calculating break-even on a resale contract and that sort of thing.

 

[ClaraOswald]

VGF p0int chart is a lot higher though, isn’t it?



But not just making your bed.. right?? Rack rate to have your bed made sounds insane to me. lol
I usually hang the do not disturb sign on the door and never take it off until I check out. DVC doesn’t let me do that, but for hotel stays I do.

I know you aren't asking me. But I've looked at this for our possible 2025 dates. 6 nights for us at BRV (studio) would be 91 points. The same 6 nights in a standard view resort studio at VGF would be 105. (Poly standard would be the same.) The lake view studio at VGF bumps up to 129 a night. We would have to borrow points for that so we don't plan to do that. We would rather just pay the 75 points for SSR. (Or something like BCV or BWV but those are way less likely to be available than our other options.)

 

[Dobermanns]

VGF p0int chart is a lot higher though, isn’t it?

It is. I am just one of those who loves VGF (and RIV) and don’t look at the point charts if at all possible
Like my upcoming trip for Springtime Surprise race weekend in April. Was originally booked at PVB standard view at 11-months, then at 7-months was happy to switch to deluxe studio LV at VGF.

 

[lilsonicfan]

The VGF point chart is so high! A week in standard view 1BR in summer at VGF is 301 points, the standard 1BR at SSR is 206 points. Yes, not quite the same, but if you need to be more miserly about points while still staying in a 1BR ...