the resort hotels are pricey

[bluegrizzlies1]

ok now that ive looked at the cheap ones explain to me why would you pay 450 a night for these hotels?

that just seems like robbery to me i was expecting maybe 225 a night but not double in july?

also whats the deal with the villas at grand how do you get in those do you have to be a member or something?

i understand its disney and all and a resort feel and so on just seems like a lot of money to me.

is there discounts you can get ?

 

[sonnyjane]

The on-sites are quite expensive. Many times Disney will offer a special promotion which makes them a little more reasonable (but not necessarily affordable!) Also AP holders get discounts at the on-site hotels, and military get a discount as well (although not as much as the AP holders).

I'm not particularly familiar with the GCH Villas and the points system, but I know others on the board are. You can rent points to use toward your stay if you're not a DVC member. Someone here should be along shortly to tell you how lol, but they are still more expensive than staying off-site, which is why staying off-site at Disneyland is so much more popular than it is at say, WDW.

 

[CrazyDuck]

You can usually get discounts on rooms if you book more than 2 nights. You can also get a cheaper rate if you have an anual pass. You can also look at gooking a package deal which inclues the room and park tickets.

As far as the villas go you can also book those through the central reservation office, but if $450/night seems steep, you may be in for a shock. Many Disney Vacation Club (DVC) members may rent out their points. the going rate is about $10/point. Points vary based on what size room you want and what time of year you are going. Go to www.dvcrequest.com to calculate how many points you would need for your vacation. Remember though, when you rent points you are doing a transaction with a private party so if someone gets ripped off you can't really complain to Disney. If you want a look at the villas, and more info on DVC you can go here: http://disneyvacationclub.disney.go.com/destinations/resorts/grand-californian-villas/

 

[LisainCalifornia]

It really depends on when you book. For example, we are going June 13-18th (5 nights) and our nightly average at the Grand is under 300.00. We typically pay that much for the Disneyland Hotel. We went in April and it was 239.00 per night for our stay. We booked that thru Orbitz. Last summer I got the DL hotel for 199.00 per night thru expedia.

We go to Disneyland 2-3 times a year and almost alway stay on property (it is worth the extra cost to us)--and we have never paid over 350ish per night. And that is without looking for discounts!

We found a thousand dollar difference from one week to the next in June this year.

We certainly have never paid over 400.00 to stay on property.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

thanks crazy duck and sonnyjane

im not dissing on people that want to stay at these places if you do thats great.

Im just trying to understand the value of it sure id like to stay there but not at the prices they want.

 

[BELLEDOZER]

No offence taken. I've seriously looked into booking one of the DL hotels for our trip in 2014, but decided that I could book HOJO's kids suite for 1/2 the price of a stay at one of the DL hotels. I would love to stay at one of them, but due to budget restraints, can't justify the expense.

 

[LisainCalifornia]

thanks crazy duck and sonnyjane

im not dissing on people that want to stay at these places if you do thats great.

Im just trying to understand the value of it sure id like to stay there but not at the prices they want.

Well, like I said, we have never paid more than 400.00 per night to stay there, and we never would--but for us it is worth it for what we paid. I always read comment here like "OMG--550.00 to stay at Grand Californian!!", and all I can think is that I would never pay that either, but we have never had to. We go summer, spring (usally april), and Christmas time--and have never paid that. You just have to search around for the deals. The latest deal we got through disney.com.

We have stayed off property (at Hojos and Best Western) and it just isn't the same vacation experience for us. We really like staying on property--and the experiece is worth the extra cost to us.

We have never had AP's (although that may change this year)--so we don't get our savings that way. Google is your friend, people.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

we want to go july 2-7 and it looks like 400 a night even looked at getaway today and its around the same must be primetime.

 

[CrazyDuck]

we want to go july 2-7 and it looks like 400 a night even looked at getaway today and its around the same must be primetime.

4th of July weekend is definately primetime! But don't think of it as $445 per night... Think of it as $2225 for your entire vacation!

 

[jdb in AZ]

Ouch. We wouldn't pay full rate to stay at Disneyland either, but we go during off season. When we stayed at GCH it was much cheaper than the deluxe rates at WDW, even with their 40% off-season rates. I hate to think what some people are shelling out to stay in WDW during the high season.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

4th of July weekend is definately primetime! But don't think of it as $445 per night... Think of it as $2225 for your entire vacation!

2225 could pay my airfare, rent a car, tickets and hotel and food and some other stuff lol

the villa things look cool i think blackjack has stayed there

 

[LisainCalifornia]

we want to go july 2-7 and it looks like 400 a night even looked at getaway today and its around the same must be primetime.

Yes, so you are searching for prices over the 4th of July--which are going to premium priced. Just like if I said "hey, I would like to stay at the Grand for Xmas this year, dear"--I would have to be prepared for sticker shock. If you search the dates we are going (June 13-18) you will see a much different number. As a consumer you do have options. If you don't want to change your dates, then staying off property may be best for you. There are times when you are locked into certain dates, and I get that. This year we could ONLY go Thanksgiving week. I looked previously and saw that it would be cost prohibitive for us to stay on property. But knowing how the system works, I waited for Disneyland.com to sell out, and then a few days later the unsold rooms that they had (and they always have some--usually 1 month to 3 weeks prior to travel) popped up on Orbitz. I found room at the Disneyland Hotel for 239.00 per night, and then searched for a coupon code. I found one for Orbitz. (10 percent off) and got our room for about 210.00 per night plus taxes. It was a good deal as far as I was concerned.

Getaway Today doesn't always have the cheapest prices. Their prices are still higher than what I got at Disney.com for our room in June. So you have to look into your options very carefully.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Well, like I said, we have never paid more than 400.00 per night to stay there, and we never would--but for us it is worth it for what we paid. I always read comment here like "OMG--550.00 to stay at Grand Californian!!", and all I can think is that I would never pay that either, but we have never had to. We go summer, spring (usally april), and Christmas time--and have never paid that. You just have to search around for the deals. The latest deal we got through disney.com.

We have stayed off property (at Hojos and Best Western) and it just isn't the same vacation experience for us. We really like staying on property--and the experiece is worth the extra cost to us.

We have never had AP's (although that may change this year)--so we don't get our savings that way. Google is your friend, people.

Since we can only take one vacation a year where we stay is very important to our stay. Anumber of years ago we were staying off site until we stayed at the DLH and now we have taken to renting points and staying in a 1 bedroom villa. Everything we do is line item budgeted and we work and save to meet that budget.
What surprizes me the resort hotels during the summer when we go are always packed and people complain about the economy????

Jack

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

Since we can only take one vacation a year where we stay is very important to our stay. Anumber of years ago we were staying off site until we stayed at the DLH and now we have taken to renting points and staying in a 1 bedroom villa. Everything we do is line item budgeted and we work and save to meet that budget.
What surprizes me the resort hotels during the summer when we go are always packed and people complain about the economy????

Jack

jack who do you rent from or a site to reccommend?

 

[LisainCalifornia]

Since we can only take one vacation a year where we stay is very important to our stay. Anumber of years ago we were staying off site until we stayed at the DLH and now we have taken to renting points and staying in a 1 bedroom villa. Everything we do is line item budgeted and we work and save to meet that budget.
What surprizes me the resort hotels during the summer when we go are always packed and people complain about the economy????

Jack

Where we stay is important to us as well. I think for us the days we stay at the resort we typically are already in the L.A are visiting inlaws--so travel costs are limited. We see the inlaws, and then tack on one or two nights at the Disneyland Hotel "for us" as a family. For the summer I take my girls by myself, and we are not seeing the inlaws, so I search for the best bang for our buck as far as cost per night on property.

I think the reason that you see the crowds on property even in the bad economy is that many people we know no longer go to far away destinations (like Hawaii, Europe, etc)--but instead stay closer to home (like Disneyland) and go there instead. It works out to be cheaper than the far away destinations, even with a stay at the Grand Californian.

 

[blackjackdelta]

jack who do you rent from or a site to reccommend?

have rented from but I have gone to the Rent/Transfer threads on the main menu and then I have sent emails to individuals who have points listed for rent and have gone fron there with finalizing the deals. I have also had offers from dis members who would like to rent points out. Has been an easy process.

Jack

 

[blackjackdelta]

Where we stay is important to us as well. I think for us the days we stay at the resort we typically are already in the L.A are visiting inlaws--so travel costs are limited. We see the inlaws, and then tack on one or two nights at the Disneyland Hotel "for us" as a family. For the summer I take my girls by myself, and we are not seeing the inlaws, so I search for the best bang for our buck as far as cost per night on property.

I think the reason that you see the crowds on property even in the bad economy is that many people we know no longer go to far away destinations (like Hawaii, Europe, etc)--but instead stay closer to home (like Disneyland) and go there instead. It works out to be cheaper than the far away destinations, even with a stay at the Grand Californian.

I have to agree for the most part. I know many people who I work with the economy has not affected their disposable income and will not stay anywhere but the best no matter where they go. It is still cheaper for the 6 of us to go to Hawaii for a week than Disney, but we are not Hawaii people. When you travel with more than 4 people it starts to get expensive.

Jack

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

how do i find out how many points i need for a studio ?

 

[sonnyjane]

how do i find out how many points i need for a studio ?

CrazyDuck provided you with the link on the previous page. Here is a direct link to the calculator: http://www.dvcrequest.com/point_calculator.asp

I did the search for your dates and it came up with:
Studio Sleeps up to 4: 136 points
One Bedroom Vacation Home Sleeps up to 5: 272 points
Two Bedroom Vacation Home Sleeps up to 9: 368 points
Grand Villa Sleeps up to 12: 796 points

 

[blackjackdelta]

how do i find out how many points i need for a studio ?

Here is the link to the point chart, also go to the owners thread on the main menu, lots of info......http://www.wdwinfo.com/disney-vacation-club/VGC-Points.htm

Jack