The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Owners & Lovers Group - 3.0

[nalababybear]

New member here, and very excited to be a part of VGC! @UrsulaWantsYourSoul Thank you for posting those maps, they are very helpful. Is there a separate thread that will show the views from the rooms?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/villas-at-disneys-grand-californian-room-views.2906031/page-8

Post #145

@Chili327 you may want to add these to your pics as it's a common requested

 

[sparkhill]

I'd just make it right away. Though I wonder how often people actually get their requests since there are so few rooms.

We've only stayed VGC once, so far. Requested pool side but got park view.

At VGC, room requests are granted based on: 1. room availability, 2. reservation date. The earlier the reservation, the more likely you are to have your request fulfilled. You can’t control when others are checking out and which rooms will be vacant the day you check-in, so sometimes certain rooms are simply not available.

We usually book at 11 months, but a few times at just over 7 months, and we typically make some sort of request. When the request is less specific (i.e., high floor, park side, etc.) I think our requests have been granted about 80% of the time out of approximately 225 nights we have stayed since 2011. If you make very specific requests, (i.e., room 6502) your chances are lower. Over the years, we have stayed in almost every 1 BR and 2 BR, and each has its charm. Sometimes, we don’t bother with requests anymore.

 

[sparkhill]

https://www.disboards.com/threads/villas-at-disneys-grand-californian-room-views.2906031/page-8

Post #145

@Chili327 you may want to add these to your pics as it's a common requested

LOL, I made those—or at least the original versions—many years ago. I will find the originals and add them.

 

[nalababybear]

LOL, I made those—or at least the original versions—many years ago. I will find the originals and add them.

Love them! Did you make the AUL ones too? We reference those a lot more since vgc is so tiny and once used to the wing, know what you're getting/looking for on the request.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

LOL, I made those—or at least the original versions—many years ago. I will find the originals and add them.

I imagine the trees are a lot taller now, though!

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

I imagine the trees are a lot taller now, though!

Ugh. Don’t get me wrong I love trees but I wish we could band together and have a just a few removed or severely pruned. If you want a tree view request the trail viewing part of the resort. I feel like most who book at a hotel riiiight next to theme park that they can hear the rides when they open the window want to see those rides. It’s just so epic but such a small group of rooms an amazing view… and shrinking.

 

[sparkhill]

duplicate

 

[sparkhill]

I dug photos out from 2014 and realized somebody else later created the multicolor versions, probably when my old Dropbox link died. Sincerest apologies for crediting myself for somebody else's work.

The photo was taken from Mickey's Fun Wheel. In the past decade the trees grew huge and the park views are obscured from all but the top floors. On recent visit, one of the cast members told me that they used to trim the trees, but the growth got out of hand during COVID.

Full Size Link

 

[ClaraOswald]

At VGC, room requests are granted based on: 1. room availability, 2. reservation date. The earlier the reservation, the more likely you are to have your request fulfilled. You can’t control when others are checking out and which rooms will be vacant the day you check-in, so sometimes certain rooms are simply not available.

We usually book at 11 months, but a few times at just over 7 months, and we typically make some sort of request. When the request is less specific (i.e., high floor, park side, etc.) I think our requests have been granted about 80% of the time out of approximately 225 nights we have stayed since 2011. If you make very specific requests, (i.e., room 6502) your chances are lower. Over the years, we have stayed in almost every 1 BR and 2 BR, and each has its charm. Sometimes, we don’t bother with requests anymore.

Interesting. We've only made one VGC booking so far and just said "pool side" and made it at 11 months. So I guess we're just unlucky. I'm sure because we stay 6 nights, that might make it more difficult as well. Probably more likely to get a request if it's just a couple nights maybe? Park side was a little louder than I would have liked but it was tolerable, thankfully.

(Side note - our only other DVC stay so far was BRV at 7 months...requested low floor, lake side. Got half of the request.)

 

[sparkhill]

Interesting. We've only made one VGC booking so far and just said "pool side" and made it at 11 months. So I guess we're just unlucky. I'm sure because we stay 6 nights, that might make it more difficult as well. Probably more likely to get a request if it's just a couple nights maybe? Park side was a little louder than I would have liked but it was tolerable, thankfully.

(Side note - our only other DVC stay so far was BRV at 7 months...requested low floor, lake side. Got half of the request.)

I don't think the duration of stay really matters in a dedicated 2BR, but it might in 2BR lock-off, since the next reservations may separately use the 1BR and the suite.

Also, each floor roughly contains the following "sets" (2BR, 1BR, suite) of rooms: two DCA, one pool, and one Redwood Trails. With random assignment, you only have about a 22% chance of a pool room. And it seems like the pool rooms have been closed a lot more over the years for various construction and outdoor refurbishment.

 

[upritbass]

That's what I've been doing. I actually make 2 comparisons. What the cost would be if we stayed on-site...so for us, that would be just a regular Grand Californian room.

After staying in a VGC 1BR, the studios seem tiny. After staying in a regular Grand Californian room, the studios seem huge!

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

After staying in a VGC 1BR, the studios seem tiny. After staying in a regular Grand Californian room, the studios seem huge!

Tee hee. Yes actually VGC ranks as one of the largest studios in the DVC system.
Hilton Head (455sf), Poly (447), Grand Flo Resort Studios (440), Riviera (423) and OKW (390) are larger with
Grand Cal coming in a respectable 6th place for size (379). Not counting things like Tower/Duo/Value, etc
basically tied in last place are BLT (339) and Copper Creek (338).

 

[AZMermaid]

If we request, we request a quiet view. For a studio that means we have gotten x509 like 4 times!

 

[ClaraOswald]

After staying in a VGC 1BR, the studios seem tiny. After staying in a regular Grand Californian room, the studios seem huge!

Really? I honestly didn't notice the villa studio being bigger than the regular room. But....we've only stayed in each once. And it was 16 months between those trips.

If we request, we request a quiet view. For a studio that means we have gotten x509 like 4 times!

Do you actually just say "quiet view?" Maybe I should try that next time.

 

[AZMermaid]

Do you actually just say "quiet view?" Maybe I should try that next time.

Yes! The one time I said “no theme park view” I got that perfect Pixar Pier view- haha! My thought is they look for key words. Now all I request is a “quiet view”.

The x509 rooms are a side pool/hot tub view but far enough from the main pool action that it’s super quiet. It just amuses me that it’s always that! But it’s perfect!

 

[Chili327]

I feel like room numbers work better than what you want to see, as if they don’t really know what the view is. lol

 

[LilyJC]

I dug photos out from 2014 and realized somebody else later created the multicolor versions, probably when my old Dropbox link died. Sincerest apologies for crediting myself for somebody else's work.

I’m pretty sure @Nonsuch made those fabulous charts that get posted and reposted any time the subject of room requests comes up for VGC! Someone correct me if I’m wrong…

We typically always request park side of some sort and have always gotten some variation of a park view. Next week we’ll be in a one bedroom for the Halloween race weekend, and I think I completely spaced making a request. It’ll just be three of us, so we’ll get what we get and won’t throw a fit

 

[mhj820]

I’m sure there is a link for room requests somewhere, but I’m curious as to the best way and time to make those requests?

*edit*
I really should have read the last couple of posts before I made this one. lol

After the advice above, I opened a chat with MS and made my room requests. It was very quick and easy!

 

[Chili327]

After the advice above, I opened a chat with MS and made my room requests. It was very quick and easy!

Do we know if it’s a first requested first served?
I’m sure I made some kind of request months ago, so I’d hate to screw that up, I just don’t know what it was. lol

 

[sparkhill]

Do we know if it’s a first requested first served?
I’m sure I made some kind of request months ago, so I’d hate to screw that up, I just don’t know what it was. lol

A few years ago, I was told by the person making the room assignments that request preference is based on the reservation date, not the request date. Of course things could have changed, but I think this remains the process. The great news is that there are no bad rooms, and over the years we have been in a lot of different rooms, each with its own charm.