the resort hotels are pricey

[CrazyDuck]

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

You need 136 points for a studio for the dates July 2-7. At this point you most likely won't be able to secure a room for those dates because, one, it is only a few months away, and two, it is a very busy weekend.

There are only a few studios villas and the Grand Californian is the smallest DVC resort in the entire collection. Room reservations even at the non-owner 7 month booking window are hard to obtain durring the busy seasons and even more so durring holidays!

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

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

yeah thanks i was gonna say 136 there is only 3 of us.

but how do i know if its available?

also i went to where people sell points do i buy from same person or a couple other people?

this is where im confused ? lol

and thanks

 

[Sherry E]

I don't think $450 is reasonable by any stretch of the imagination, but I have never had to pay that to stay onsite at any of the 3 hotels, thankfully.

When I have stayed onsite, thus far (and it will probably change in the future as DLR becomes more developed and prices go up) I have always had some sort of PIN code discount or AP discount or other special offer of some kind...and my room rate has never been over $200 per night. In fact, it's usually been well below $200 before tax - sometimes I've paid $159, sometimes it's been $179, or somewhere in that range.

I go to DLR at very popular times, like HalloweenTime and Christmas time. But I pay attention to the specific weeks. If I wanted to go during Christmas week or between Christmas and New Year's (which I wouldn't), I would not get much of a discount at all. So I go before Christmas week, get the discount and get to experience the full holiday season. This doesn't mean that I can always afford to stay onsite even if it is well below the $200 range per night, but I try to.

As for what makes staying onsite 'worth it,' it's really different for each person. It's not for everyone. Some people look at their trips as being all about the parks themselves, and the hotels are merely a place to sleep and shower. Others count the hotels as part of the whole Disney experience - and I fall into that category.

Sure, mostly I just sleep and shower or take mid-day breaks in the hotel room, but staying onsite enhances my overall experience tremendously. I like the feeling of beginning and ending my trip on Disney property, from when I get out of the car to when I get back in it to leave.

I love looking for hidden Mickeys in the carpeting or in the bedspreads or in the wallaper. I love seeing the little details Disney uses in their rooms to complement the themes of the hotels. I love being greeted by happy Mickey ears bath products in the bathroom when I arrive. I love to get my room key (called Key to the Magic) when I check in, which has my name on it. I love knowing that there is a possibility of being upgraded to a better room with a better view (which is what I got in December). I love receiving my pink folder with Goofy on the cover at the front desk, filled with brochures and maps and info. I love making use of the Magic Mornings. I love being able to send my purchases back to the hotel for free so I don't have to schlep them around the parks.

For me, the Disney hotels are a big part of my enjoyment and immersion in the Disney magic during a trip.

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

You need 136 points for a studio for the dates July 2-7. At this point you most likely won't be able to secure a room for those dates because, one, it is only a few months away, and two, it is a very busy weekend.

There are only a few studios villas and the Grand Californian is the smallest DVC resort in the entire collection. Room reservations even at the non-owner 7 month booking window are hard to obtain durring the busy seasons and even more so durring holidays!

i figured i wouldnt be able to get but just looking at how the process works.

im sure we will go again next march so this would be good to plan for

 

[blackjackdelta]

yeah thanks i was gonna say 136 there is only 3 of us.

but how do i know if its available?

also i went to where people sell points do i buy from same person or a couple other people?

this is where im confused ? lol

and thanks

I try to stick with one individual and stay around $10/point. Resrevation at this time will be very scarce. You have to have a member check MS for the dates. The studios are very popular.

Jack

 

[CrazyDuck]

i figured i wouldnt be able to get but just looking at how the process works.

im sure we will go again next march so this would be good to plan for

If you plan to go next March, start the process now. People who own DVC at the Grand Californian can already start booking those dates since it is 11 months out. Non-Owners can book at 7 months so you'd best have a renter in place by that time so he/she could start booking your dates when they come available! Good Luck!

ETA... BTW you don't want to go mext March.... Wait til Summer 2012!

 

[blackjackdelta]

You also need to be committed to the dates, refunds rarely happen. Good luck the process works well for us.

Jack

 

[bluegrizzlies1]

If you plan to go next March, start the process now. People who own DVC at the Grand Californian can already start booking those dates since it is 11 months out. Non-Owners can book at 7 months so you'd best have a renter in place by that time so he/she could start booking your dates when they come available! Good Luck!

ETA... BTW you don't want to go mext March.... Wait til Summer 2012!

yeah next march is good plus i know for a fact we will go next summer when cars land is open

 

[Krissy Marissy]

I agree that where we stay also is important to us. Back in the day we stayed offsite until we did stay onsite once and that was it. There was no going back. We love the disney hotels both at disneyland and disneyworld. We stay in DVC properties now but the regular rooms are still what we'd do if we didn't. To me at the GCH you don't leave Disneyland. You walk down DTD and hear that awesome music and stroll into a beautiful hotel. We look out our window and see DCA and it just feels like you go to Disney and you are at Disney the entire time. But when you stay off propert you leave. You cross traffic, you see homeless people at the bus stops, you get bugged to buy a time share etc. For some these reasons may seem silly but to us, they matter and staying onsite is what completes our trip.

 

[wdwislife]

Yeah, it's pretty crazy especially considering you get about half the benefits of staying onsite as you do in WDW.

 

[DoomsdayFAN]

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 ?

LOL. It's Disney. They can get away with it. Believe me, it's not just the hotels. Everything they sell (everything) is freaking robbery. The prices are always jacked up WAY beyond what's reasonable.

That's why, at DL, I never ever stay onsite. I can get a great hotel within walking distance for a fifth the price.

 

[frijolefrito]

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 don't like to call things out but I have just recently booked the hotel and it's 40% off alot more than the ap's 10%. Now if I'm wrong let me know because my sister is an AP holder and she has the TOP ap pass. The hotel qouted me these prices and discounts. Also to make the reservations you don't need to show proof of anything. It'll be when you hit the hotel.

 

[Sherry E]

I don't like to call things out but I have just recently booked the hotel and it's 40% off alot more than the ap's 10%. Now if I'm wrong let me know because my sister is an AP holder and she has the TOP ap pass. The hotel qouted me these prices and discounts. Also to make the reservations you don't need to show proof of anything. It'll be when you hit the hotel.

You're partially right. The AP holders will get 10% off of hotel stays year-round (365 days a year, even on the major holidays). That's the "AP discount." So you always have the 10% off if nothing better comes out.

But...there are also the "AP rates," which are not the same as the AP discounts. Those are the prices that are sought after. The AP rates (often called things like AP9, AP8, AP10, etc.) offer hefty discounts during certain weeks of each month, so they are more limited in when the rates are available, but the discounts are great when they are available. That's how the AP holders get rates like $139 per night or $159 or $179 or whatever. Usually, you have to keep checking the special AP section of the DLR website for the dates the AP rates are available to appear on the AP calendar - this calendar is not available on the regular section of the DLR website, only the AP section.

 

[skiingfast]

I don't like to call things out but I have just recently booked the hotel and it's 40% off alot more than the ap's 10%. Now if I'm wrong let me know because my sister is an AP holder and she has the TOP ap pass. The hotel qouted me these prices and discounts. Also to make the reservations you don't need to show proof of anything. It'll be when you hit the hotel.

The standard AP rate is 10% off the prevailing rate. The regular rate of course depends on season and day of the week because Disney bases it off demand. Often times calling for a rate gives a better rate than is shown on the AP site(which usually posts the 10% off). The discount also depends on the season and day of the week.

Did you get quoted 40% off because of your sister's AP? Or because you are military?

 

[blackjackdelta]

The standard AP rate is 10% off the prevailing rate. The regular rate of course depends on season and day of the week because Disney bases it off demand. Often times calling for a rate gives a better rate than is shown on the AP site(which usually posts the 10% off). The discount also depends on the season and day of the week.

Did you get quoted 40% off because of your sister's AP? Or because you are military?

Also the senior rate is much better than all those other rates.

Jack

 

[sonnyjane]

I don't like to call things out but I have just recently booked the hotel and it's 40% off alot more than the ap's 10%. Now if I'm wrong let me know because my sister is an AP holder and she has the TOP ap pass. The hotel qouted me these prices and discounts. Also to make the reservations you don't need to show proof of anything. It'll be when you hit the hotel.

As the others have responded, AP holder's get a minimum of 10% off year-round, but the AP site also lists special rates at certain times that can be much more (such as 40%). Also, it does not matter what type of AP you have. I have a Premium AP, but I get the same discount as the Deluxe or SoCal AP's - any AP holder gets the same hotel discount. And yes, you are correct that you don't need proof of the AP when booking, only when you check in.

Additionally I should note that sometimes when Disneyland runs special promotions, the NON-AP promotional rate can be even less than the AP rate, and often sites like Expedia will have rates better than the AP rate also, so the AP rate is not always the cheapest.

ETA: I just saw that you commented about the 40% in the military thread. Yes, the 40% off rooms is part of the special military promotion that just got extended. There are some blackout days, so be sure to inquire if you're travelling around a holiday. 40% is not the standard military discount, it is just part of the special military promotion.

 

[nana50]

Just curious Jack, I just booked the Grand for $266.00 a night. What would the senior rate be? I'm going May 8th & 9th.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Just curious Jack, I just booked the Grand for $266.00 a night. What would the senior rate be? I'm going May 8th & 9th.

I fly back home tomorrow so will call after I get in. Are you looking at a standard DQ?

Jack

 

[JeffGoldblum]

Is there a site that updates a rough estimate of how much rooms are each month with an AP discount? I do not have an AP, so I can not log in and check dates, but if the discount was good enough I would buy an AP to take advantage of it.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Is there a site that updates a rough estimate of how much rooms are each month with an AP discount? I do not have an AP, so I can not log in and check dates, but if the discount was good enough I would buy an AP to take advantage of it.

Normally a member will check for you if you ask or they volunteer. I know of no other site at this time. You can also call and ask a CM for the member rate. Just have to have the card when you check in.

Jack