The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Owners Group

[Donald is #1]

although it was outside of the Disneyland reality distortion field so the prices were reasonable.

 

[franandaj]

Thanks! I'll have a car so getting there won't be a problem. After Disneyland, I'll be heading to Joshua Tree, Sequioa and Kings Canyon National Parks. Hence the desire to pick up water, snacks, etc.

If it's just snacks, I'd really recommend the Food 4 Less, it's low budget, but they have the same stuff as the regular high end retail places, but at way discounted prices. In the last year, we have really needed to watch our budget so I started to go to Food 4 Less and especially if you are buying name brand products, or produce their prices can't be beat. You won't get select or choice meat. But for other things on certain occasions, if you're looking for good prepacked stuff hit Food 4 Less, and the prices will be good too.

 

[Nonsuch]

I'm back from my first VGC trip, and will try to create a floorplan map this week.

I did notice something odd. There are some extra studios in the VGC wing. My purchase paper work describes a total of 48 units: 2 Grand Villas, 23 two-bedroom, 23 one-bedroom + studio lockoff. There are also some additional studios that are not connected to a one-bedroom.

Has anyone stayed in these studio rooms: 1500, 1503, 1511, 1513, 2503, 3503, 4503, 5503 ?

This is a floor by floor map of the VGC and the hotel expansion. I walked through the VGC wing, so this is the actual arrangement of the villas. The hotel rooms are all normal sized, so I did not verify those rooms. This was a chance to try out OmniGraffle (similar to Visio)

Some interesting observations: There are only 3 villas on the 6th floor. The Grand Villas are on floors 4 and 5. There are some "extra" studios (as I posted before).

The picture is hosted on this site (so it will not become a broken link), but the resolution is limited.

 

[blackjackdelta]

Thanks for the maps.

Jack

 

[wideeyedwonder]

This is a floor by floor map of the VGC and the hotel expansion.

Thanks!

 

[DVCGeek]

The picture is hosted on this site (so it will not become a broken link), but the resolution is limited.

Thanks for the map! However, the numbers are a little hard to head. Do you have any other copies of it at a higher resolution (even if it's just a temporary link?), or maybe you could break it up into separate images per floor? At any rate, thanks again for what you already posted!

---------------------

On a similar note- I've asked the Mouse a few times, but so far I haven't been able to get any site floor plan documents for VGC; has anyone had any luck getting them? I'd like to find out where the unit I own in, "3A", is in the wing and also what layout and type (2 BR Ded or Lockoff? I doubt it's a GV...) it is.

I have copies of all the info. for my other contracts (BLT, AKV, and VWL) off the Orange County, FL website...

 

[letitsnow]

When staying in a studio is the laundry facility free or do you have to pay to use the washer and dryers on the first floor?

 

[Nonsuch]

Thanks for the maps.

Your welcome

The picture is hard to read
Here are 2 pdf versions: 1 page, 6 pages.

 

[Nonsuch]

On a similar note- I've asked the Mouse a few times, but so far I haven't been able to get any site floor plan documents for VGC; has anyone had any luck getting them? I'd like to find out where the unit I own in, "3A", is in the wing and also what layout and type (2 BR Ded or Lockoff? I doubt it's a GV...) it is.

I have copies of all the info. for my other contracts (BLT, AKV, and VWL) off the Orange County, FL website...

I would like to have a document like that, which would include an even more detail floorplan than I created.
Digging through all the DVC paperwork, on page 35 of "The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Hotel, Component Site Public Offering Statement" is a summary of documents not delivered to purchasers. Item 4, "Survey, Floor and Plot Plans" might be the one we want.

 

[Nonsuch]

When staying in a studio is the laundry facility free or do you have to pay to use the washer and dryers on the first floor?

Back on Page 92 of this thread:

-The laundry room is not done, as mentioned. We asked for tokens for the other machines and guest services ended up giving us actual quarters to do our laundry, which I thought was kinda strange.

The laundry room is done
The machines do require tokens (or maybe coins).

 

[wideeyedwonder]

Here are 2 pdf versions

Even better! Thanks!

 

[DVCGeek]

Here are 2 pdf versions: 1 page, 6 pages.

Those PDFs are perfect, you ROCK!!!

 

[BeccaG]

Thanks for the map! However, the numbers are a little hard to head. Do you have any other copies of it at a higher resolution (even if it's just a temporary link?), or maybe you could break it up into separate images per floor? At any rate, thanks again for what you already posted!

---------------------

On a similar note- I've asked the Mouse a few times, but so far I haven't been able to get any site floor plan documents for VGC; has anyone had any luck getting them? I'd like to find out where the unit I own in, "3A", is in the wing and also what layout and type (2 BR Ded or Lockoff? I doubt it's a GV...) it is.

I have copies of all the info. for my other contracts (BLT, AKV, and VWL) off the Orange County, FL website...

From what I understand, 3A would be a block of rooms. I don't remember exactly but the unit i own .11% of (or something like that) is a group of rooms consisting of a few two bedrooms and like four or five studios at SSR. Unless they did it drastically differently at the CA Grand, I would assume its the same.

 

[BeccaG]

OK, so excited, two weeks from today we will be checking in to a 2BR at the Villas at the Grand Californian for two nights with our good friends.....soooooooo excited its finally here!!

 

[Nonsuch]

On a similar note- I've asked the Mouse a few times, but so far I haven't been able to get any site floor plan documents for VGC; has anyone had any luck getting them? I'd like to find out where the unit I own in, "3A", is in the wing and also what layout and type (2 BR Ded or Lockoff? I doubt it's a GV...) it is.

From what I understand, 3A would be a block of rooms. I don't remember exactly but the unit i own .11% of (or something like that) is a group of rooms consisting of a few two bedrooms and like four or five studios at SSR. Unless they did it drastically differently at the CA Grand, I would assume its the same.

Starting with only 3 data points:
1. The total number of points is: 1,136,968
This number was posted earlier in this thread, although how the source of the number was not given.
2. I own .4886% of unit 14B symbolized by 110 points.
3. I own .2443% of unit 16 symbolized by 110 points.

Here are my rough calculations:
If .4886% of 14B is 110, then 100% is 22513
Assume this is a two-bedroom (with dedicated and lockoff treated the same)
46 x 22513 = 1,035,598
If .2443% of 16 is 110, then 100% is 45026
Assume this is a grand villa (I own a grand villa )
2 x 45026 = 90,052
Total 1,035,598 + 90,052 = 1,125,650 points (only off by 1% from 1,136,968)

The WDW developments are so large, it makes sense to group many rooms into a "unit" for sales. As the units sell, whole floors can be converted from hotel (cash payment) to villa (points payment). VGC is small enough, that a "unit" might actually be a specific "villa".

 

[lulubelle]

When staying in a studio is the laundry facility free or do you have to pay to use the washer and dryers on the first floor?

When I checked in last week, the front desk CM asked me if I needed some tokens to do laundry. I said no. I was in a studio. The units are so beautiful.

 

[CrazyDuck]

Starting with only 3 data points:
1. The total number of points is: 1,136,968
This number was posted earlier in this thread, although how the source of the number was not given.
2. I own .4886% of unit 14B symbolized by 110 points.
3. I own .2443% of unit 16 symbolized by 110 points.

Here are my rough calculations:
If .4886% of 14B is 110, then 100% is 22513
Assume this is a two-bedroom (with dedicated and lockoff treated the same)
46 x 22513 = 1,035,598
If .2443% of 16 is 110, then 100% is 45026
Assume this is a grand villa (I own a grand villa )
2 x 45026 = 90,052
Total 1,035,598 + 90,052 = 1,125,650 points (only off by 1% from 1,136,968)

The WDW developments are so large, it makes sense to group many rooms into a "unit" for sales. As the units sell, whole floors can be converted from hotel (cash payment) to villa (points payment). VGC is small enough, that a "unit" might actually be a specific "villa".

I would guess that the single numbers mean that the units are a standalone unit like a dedicated 2br. While the rooms with an a or b are parts of a lockoff unit.

Anyways I have 2 100 point contracts both worth .2221% of unit 7. FWIW!

 

[Nonsuch]

...I have 2 100 point contracts both worth .2221% of unit 7.

Based on my many assumptions unit 7 would be a grand villa

 

[DVCGeek]

There are only two Grand Villas, so sounds like we found them. From my experience {details below}, the number portion of a unit's name refers to the phase, and the letter refers to different units within that phase (if there are more than one). I have 4 contracts, each at a different resort:

BLT Unit 13A is one 2BR lockoff, rooms 7326 & 7328 (others have reported them as MK view). [Unit Floor Plan from Condo Exhibit book 47 page 26] My 160 points are 0.8147% of Unit 13A, so it has about 19,639 points in it.

AKV Unit 103A is a 2 BR dedicated, I'm pretty sure it is Savanah view room 7438. [Unit Floor Plan from Condo Exhibit book 47 page 46] My 75 points are 0.4604% of Unit 103A, so it has about 16,290 points in it.

VWL Unit 33A is different; it is a total of 4 rooms; a 2 BR lockoff and two dedicated studios. [Floor Plan from Condo Exhibit book 31 page 127] They are rooms 1510, 1512, 1514, and 1516. My 36 points are 0.1260% of Unit 33A, so the unit has about 28,571 points in it.

My VGC contract is 50 points forming 0.2221% of Unit 3A, so it has about 22,512 points in it, which matches Nonsuch's value for an assumed 2 BR. If only I could get a Unit Floor Plan drawing for it to complete my collection and find out what type it is and where!!! I want to know the room numbers so I can take pictures of "my" doorknobs in October. Argh...

 

[Nonsuch]

...I want to know the room numbers so I can take pictures of "my" doorknobs in October. Argh...

You really are a DVC Geek