Seeking Input from VGF Owners

[bgdis]

My add-on-itis has been going full force over the past couple months. I own at BWV for the proximity to Epcot (particularly for the Food and Wine Festival), so I’ve been looking at the possibility of adding points over by the Magic Kingdom.

I’ve been researching the DVC offerings on the monorail as well as CCV and BR, and I’m very interested in VGF. I’ve watched the DISunplugged videos on Youtube, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything from people that own at VGF.

What is your take on the pros and cons? Do you regret buying there? Are you happy owning there?

Any input about your ownership experience there would be much appreciated. Thank you!

 

[kboo]

love owning there. It was our favorite DVC resort until our recent stay at Riviera. We also own at BLT and love that resort too. BLT prices have been softening the last quarter, and the point costs there are much more reasonable than VGF. If you're mainly interested in studios, though, the VGF studios are much better (larger, better layout imo) than BLT. I'm just not sure it's worth a 50$ per point price differential. (it wasn't that when we bought)

Do you have specific questions/thoughts/concerns?

 

[Deb & Bill]

Once again, studios can be hard to book at times of the year. I have booked a one bedroom villa twice in early May. But I use my cheap OKW points to book those stays.

 

[GoingSince1990]

Love it. Even before we bought DVC the Grand Floridian was always our favorite. And it’s only going to get better with the imminent completion of the walkway to MK. Beautiful resort, great restaurants, great location, highly recommended.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Love it. Even before we bought DVC the Grand Floridian was always our favorite. And it’s only going to get better with the imminent completion of the walkway to MK. Beautiful resort, great restaurants, great location, highly recommended.

I hear people complaining about walking to the main building or the counter service at GF. But they don't seem to complain about walking to the MK which will be lot longer of a walk.

 

[GoingSince1990]

I hear people complaining about walking to the main building or the counter service at GF. But they don't seem to complain about walking to the MK which will be lot longer of a walk.

The main building is actually really close to the villas. You can just walk across the pool area and there's an entrance right there. And one nice thing is that to Minnie Van/Uber/Lyft to Epcot, DHS or AK, the car can drive up right in front of the villas building, with no walk to the main lobby needed.

 

[TCRAIG]

I love it - so elegant, so relaxed, so convenient. The only Con I can think of is so many weddings there and so many brides and grooms wanting pictures made in the main lobby that it kind of ruins the vibe for me when I just want to relax and enjoy the main resort area - I kind of feel ‘in the way’...but so far, they hasn’t encroached on the DVC lobby

 

[GoofyCoaster]

Love owning at GF!
Pros include: covered walkway to main building (helpful while raining), Gasparillas QS open 24hrs, great splash pad for kids, easy walk to Poly for more bar and dining options, can walk to TTC and soon will be able to walk to MK. Gasparillas and the beach pool bar have decent QS fare (yum crab cake sandwich). MK fireworks can be viewed from the patio outside Gasparillas or from the walkway between the GF villas and the Poly. Studios are larger than average for DVC and have a dedicated table and chairs, rather than pull-down bed/table combo (like BCV/BWV). There’s a split bath that can be fully enclosed, so noise and light is tempered if others are sleeping (contrast to the open vanity area in BCV/BWV studios).

Cons: the QS is on the opposite side of the resort, buses are often shared with Poly, points are expensive and nights are point intensive. The points needed for a studio at GF can approach the cost of a 1BR elsewhere. Studio booking can be tight and there’s some walking of reservations. Most preferred lake view villas on the long arm overlook the Poly, not the MK. The resort is a sightseeing destination and the guard gate, lobby, and monorail station can get very congested, especially when decorated for Christmas.

I have never regretted owning VGF and wish we had more points there. Similar to OP, we also own at BWV. I’ve used BW points to pick up a few nights at GF found while stalking the member website, but our VGF points stay at VGF.

 

[dd08]

Only regret is that we don’t have more points there.

 

[PsycProfPlum]

Not an owner, but I scored 2 nights there in a Lake View Studio in early December.

Like others mentioned, the walk to the main building is by covered walkway (with none of the service cart traffic elsewhere in the resort). It's a short and pleasant walk - shorter than down the endless hallways of AKL. It didn't feel disconnected from the main building to me at all. My favorite part may have been chilling with a cocktail and watching the nightly Electrical Water Pageant on the balcony. Overall it was a lovely stay and I liked it very much.

The only downsides that I had was that the storage wasn't great (one of the drawers under the bed wasn't accessible because of a nightstand in the way and as we didn't need the pull down bed, we would have preferred a regular dresser) and the sliding bathroom doors could be cumbersome. The other negative was the nearly 40 minute monorail commute to Epcot. Loved everything else about it though.