The Official VILLAS at DISNEYLAND HOTEL (Discovery Tower) Owners and Fans Info Thread

[ClaraOswald]

I was curious how exactly they get those nightly tax amounts. Is each room worth a certain amount and then they tax it 15% or something? How do they determine the value of the room per night?

 

[VGCgroupie]

I was curious how exactly they get those nightly tax amounts. Is each room worth a certain amount and then they tax it 15% or something? How do they determine the value of the room per night?

It’s a flat total per point then you multiply by points per night.

Figured it out.

2025 2.87

2026 2.96

2027 will be 3.06

 

[RickNJane]

from Chat GPT

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BEST WEEKS TO BOOK VGC VS. VDH (TEXT-ONLY ANALYSIS)​

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Below is a straightforward comparison of which weeks in 2027 are best booked at the Villas at Disney’s Grand Californian (VGC) versus the Villas at the Disneyland Hotel (VDH), using:

• 2027 point charts
• $20/point valuation
• VDH transient occupancy tax (TOT)

TOT significantly alters value, especially for larger rooms at VDH.

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WHEN VGC IS THE BETTER VALUE​

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VGC becomes a better deal during high-demand periods or when booking larger rooms, because VGC does not charge the Anaheim TOT and VDH does.

The best VGC weeks are:

1. Thanksgiving Week
   Dates: November 23–27
   Reason: VDH TOT is extremely high during this period, often $150–$450 per night depending on room type. VGC avoids that added cost.
2. Christmas and New Year Weeks
   Dates: December 17–31
   Reason: VDH TOT is at its highest of the year. Even when VDH point costs are similar or slightly lower, the effective dollar cost is higher than VGC.
3. Summer Peak Season for Larger Rooms
   Dates: June 28–September 4
   Reason: VDH TOT is consistently high during summer and removes most or all of the point-savings advantage. VGC 2BR and Grand Villas are often cheaper in dollars.
4. All Seasons for Grand Villas
   Reason: VDH Grand Villa TOT ranges from roughly $293 to over $600 per night. Even when VDH uses fewer points, the TOT makes it more expensive than VGC virtually every week of the year.

Summary for VGC:

• Best for Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays
• Best for peak summer if booking 2BR or Grand Villa
• Best for Grand Villas all year
• Best overall when TOT is high at VDH

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WHEN VDH IS THE BETTER VALUE​

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VDH is most cost-effective when you are booking smaller rooms (Studio or 1BR) and traveling during lower-TOT periods.

The best VDH weeks are:

1. January Value Season
   Dates: January 3–31
   Reason: Low points and low TOT. Studios and 1BRs at VDH are far cheaper than VGC in dollar terms.
2. Early February to Mid-March
   Dates: February 1–March 14
   Reason: Points remain relatively low at VDH and TOT is still modest. VDH Studios and 1BRs are less expensive than VGC by a wide margin.
3. Early May
   Dates: May 1–22
   Reason: One of the lowest-cost periods for VDH. TOT is mild and point differences are meaningful.
4. Late August to End of September
   Dates: August 16–September 30
   Reason: Consistently one of the cheapest times of the year to stay at VDH. Studios and 1BR usually save $80–$150 per night compared to VGC.
5. Early October (non-holiday weekends)
   Dates: October 1–15
   Reason: Moderate point season and TOT still reasonable. VDH typically wins for Studios and 1BRs.

Summary for VDH:

• Best for Studios and 1BR stays
• Best during January, February, May, and late August through September
• Best when TOT is lowest and point differences are highest

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OVERALL COMPARISON BY DATE RANGE​

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January 3–February 27
Winner: VDH
Notes: Lowest TOT and large point savings

February 28–March 18
Winner: VDH
Notes: Still low TOT and moderate points

March 19–April 3
Winner: VDH for Studios, VGC for larger rooms
Notes: TOT jumps for 2BR and GV at VDH

April 4–June 27
Winner: VDH
Notes: TOT modest enough that point savings dominate

June 28–September 4
Winner: VGC
Notes: TOT is high enough at VDH to erase point savings for larger rooms

September 5–September 30
Winner: VDH
Notes: Some of the lowest point/TOT periods of the year

October 1–November 22
Winner: VDH for Studios and 1BR, mixed for larger rooms
Notes: TOT still moderate

Thanksgiving (November 23–27)
Winner: VGC
Notes: TOT spike at VDH makes it much more expensive

November 28–December 16
Winner: Mixed
Notes: Depends heavily on room type; Studios may favor VDH, larger rooms favor VGC

December 17–December 31
Winner: VGC
Notes: TOT spike makes VDH more expensive in all room sizes

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FINAL SUMMARY​

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VGC is best:

• Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday periods
• All peak periods for large rooms
• All year for Grand Villas
• Most summer dates for 2BR and GV

VDH is best:

• January through mid-March
• May 1–22
• August 16–September 30
• Early October (non-holiday weekends)
• Almost always better for Studios and 1BRs outside of holiday weeks

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Great Analysis. We almost always book 1br. Just feels more like a vacation home instead of a hotel. However, the TOT at VDH does hurt. That and the huge Dues jump takes some of the shine off of VDH for me. Dont get me wrong, I love VDH. The rooms are great and gotta love the theming.
We are on the fence about selling our VDH and adding more VGC. We have a split stay coming up and that will make our decision I think.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Great Analysis. We almost always book 1br. Just feels more like a vacation home instead of a hotel. However, the TOT at VDH does hurt. That and the huge Dues jump takes some of the shine off of VDH for me. Dont get me wrong, I love VDH. The rooms are great and gotta love the theming.
We are on the fence about selling our VDH and adding more VGC. We have a split stay coming up and that will make our decision I think.

I cannot see how selling VDH and buying VGC would make sense money wise. VGC dues % increase was actually higher than VDH. In addition there are some seasons where VDH charges such less points that even with TOT it’s cheaper than VGC not even considering the significant higher buy in cost at VGC.

Now if VGC is just preferred for other reasons maybe that justifies the financial hit of selling VDH and buying VGC but TOT and dues is not a sound reason.

 

[RickNJane]

I cannot see how selling VDH and buying VGC would make sense money wise. VGC dues % increase was actually higher than VDH. In addition there are some seasons where VDH charges such less points that even with TOT it’s cheaper than VGC not even considering the significant higher buy in cost at VGC.

Now if VGC is just preferred for other reasons maybe that justifies the financial hit of selling VDH and buying VGC but TOT and dues is not a sound reason.

Agreed on Monetary side of things. It would be a hit. There are non monetary reasons. We are pushing 70 with the beginnings of mobility issues. Luckily so far in that we can still get around without mobility aids. We can walk the parks, but at the end of the day we are pretty shot. On our last visit to VDH, the Monorail was not running. This means it was a bit of a hike to and from the parks. Must say the walk back to VDH was a bit brutal. The views from VDH are pretty hit or miss. We overlooked the VDH pool and the mountains in the distance. Not too bad. Except this also overlooked the loading docks. We awoke to the backup beepers on trucks very early in the morning. Some rooms also have a pretty industrial views. I get it, DLR is not WDW and as it is in the middle of town. We dont spend a ton of time in the room anyway.

VDH is beautiful. We used to stay at the Disney Land hotel back in the 90's when the kids were small. VDH does bring back very great memories. I think that is one reason we bought, nostalgia. It was a great idea for DVC to build here, to take advantage of the nostalgia. They did that in spades.

However, we also stayed at GC before DVC. It was a great stay and visiting the lobby on our recent trip brought back a lot of the nostalgia as well. The DVC side is pretty quiet and will not have the truck traffic. We also prefer the food at VGC and Downtown Disney is at our doorstep.

I also really hate paying the TOT. TOT rates increase every year. We always go for a 1 br. Just feels more like a vacation home than a hotel. If we keep VDH, we may have to rethink it and try a studio. I am an old dog with ingrained habits. Would just not be a DVC vacation in a studio. Not trying to be a snob, but we did 1 or 2 BR on family vacations. This old habit is hard to break. 1 br is more points which means more TOT. I know it does not make sense monetarily, but paying the TOT at the end of the stay just irks me.

So you are correct that I will lose selling my VDH points. VGC is expensive on resale and much too scarce direct. So it is a losing proposition. After our upcoming stay we will decide if it is worth the hit or not. Maybe I should just put on my big boy pants and get over it.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Agreed on Monetary side of things. It would be a hit. There are non monetary reasons. We are pushing 70 with the beginnings of mobility issues. Luckily so far in that we can still get around without mobility aids. We can walk the parks, but at the end of the day we are pretty shot. On our last visit to VDH, the Monorail was not running. This means it was a bit of a hike to and from the parks. Must say the walk back to VDH was a bit brutal. The views from VDH are pretty hit or miss. We overlooked the VDH pool and the mountains in the distance. Not too bad. Except this also overlooked the loading docks. We awoke to the backup beepers on trucks very early in the morning. Some rooms also have a pretty industrial views. I get it, DLR is not WDW and as it is in the middle of town. We dont spend a ton of time in the room anyway.

VDH is beautiful. We used to stay at the Disney Land hotel back in the 90's when the kids were small. VDH does bring back very great memories. I think that is one reason we bought, nostalgia. It was a great idea for DVC to build here, to take advantage of the nostalgia. They did that in spades.

However, we also stayed at GC before DVC. It was a great stay and visiting the lobby on our recent trip brought back a lot of the nostalgia as well. The DVC side is pretty quiet and will not have the truck traffic. We also prefer the food at VGC and Downtown Disney is at our doorstep.

I also really hate paying the TOT. TOT rates increase every year. We always go for a 1 br. Just feels more like a vacation home than a hotel. If we keep VDH, we may have to rethink it and try a studio. I am an old dog with ingrained habits. Would just not be a DVC vacation in a studio. Not trying to be a snob, but we did 1 or 2 BR on family vacations. This old habit is hard to break. 1 br is more points which means more TOT. I know it does not make sense monetarily, but paying the TOT at the end of the stay just irks me.

So you are correct that I will lose selling my VDH points. VGC is expensive on resale and much too scarce direct. So it is a losing proposition. After our upcoming stay we will decide if it is worth the hit or not. Maybe I should just put on my big boy pants and get over it.

Ahh okay that makes more sense then. The VDH walk is not fun at night especially as you walk past VGC.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Agreed on Monetary side of things. It would be a hit. There are non monetary reasons. We are pushing 70 with the beginnings of mobility issues. Luckily so far in that we can still get around without mobility aids. We can walk the parks, but at the end of the day we are pretty shot. On our last visit to VDH, the Monorail was not running. This means it was a bit of a hike to and from the parks. Must say the walk back to VDH was a bit brutal. The views from VDH are pretty hit or miss. We overlooked the VDH pool and the mountains in the distance. Not too bad. Except this also overlooked the loading docks. We awoke to the backup beepers on trucks very early in the morning. Some rooms also have a pretty industrial views. I get it, DLR is not WDW and as it is in the middle of town. We dont spend a ton of time in the room anyway.

VDH is beautiful. We used to stay at the Disney Land hotel back in the 90's when the kids were small. VDH does bring back very great memories. I think that is one reason we bought, nostalgia. It was a great idea for DVC to build here, to take advantage of the nostalgia. They did that in spades.

However, we also stayed at GC before DVC. It was a great stay and visiting the lobby on our recent trip brought back a lot of the nostalgia as well. The DVC side is pretty quiet and will not have the truck traffic. We also prefer the food at VGC and Downtown Disney is at our doorstep.

I also really hate paying the TOT. TOT rates increase every year. We always go for a 1 br. Just feels more like a vacation home than a hotel. If we keep VDH, we may have to rethink it and try a studio. I am an old dog with ingrained habits. Would just not be a DVC vacation in a studio. Not trying to be a snob, but we did 1 or 2 BR on family vacations. This old habit is hard to break. 1 br is more points which means more TOT. I know it does not make sense monetarily, but paying the TOT at the end of the stay just irks me.

So you are correct that I will lose selling my VDH points. VGC is expensive on resale and much too scarce direct. So it is a losing proposition. After our upcoming stay we will decide if it is worth the hit or not. Maybe I should just put on my big boy pants and get over it.

FWIW, I’ve mapped it out and the walk to the far VGC wing is not much more than it is to VDH from the Grand Cal security checkpoint.

I personally wouldn’t sell an unrestricted VDH for $150pp less commission and fees to buy a $250pp VGC contract.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Great Analysis. We almost always book 1br. Just feels more like a vacation home instead of a hotel. However, the TOT at VDH does hurt. That and the huge Dues jump takes some of the shine off of VDH for me. Dont get me wrong, I love VDH. The rooms are great and gotta love the theming.
We are on the fence about selling our VDH and adding more VGC. We have a split stay coming up and that will make our decision I think.

I'll be curious to hear your thoughts after your split stay. Are you in a 1-BR for each?