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

[VGCgroupie]

I generally agree, but I'd really like them to replace showerheads and the tub.

Yeah my biggest area Id like to see updated and clean is the shower. Fine with keeping cabinets and even counters but I feel the showers really need to be fully updated.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Of the 17 properties only 5 have a second bathroom and they were all built around the same time. AKL Kidani, BLT and VGC followed by VDH & PIT.
AUL has an extra half bath in the dedicated 2 bedroom.

It certainly does stink that more don’t have the extra bathroom but it is what it is.

AUL does not have a 2nd bathroom in the 1bd… but has 2.5 in a 2bd…. makes the 2bd a much better value….

 

[AstroBlasters]

Yeah my biggest area Id like to see updated and clean is the shower. Fine with keeping cabinets and even counters but I feel the showers really need to be fully updated.

I think the showers look great (except for the basic b shower head), what don’t you like about them?

 

[VGCgroupie]

I think the showers look great (except for the basic b shower head), what don’t you like about them?

Dirty cracking grout, dirty caulking. A regrout could help.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Dirty cracking grout, dirty caulking. A regrout could help.

I guess I’m lucky I haven’t run into that.

 

[eticketplease]

AUL does not have a 2nd bathroom in the 1bd… but has 2.5 in a 2bd…. makes the 2bd a much better value….

That’s correct and I didn’t say it did. Sorry if it looked that way as I listed the 5 properties that had the extra bathroom and then threw in the half bath in the dedicated 2 bedroom at AUL

 

[Royal Consort]

Dirty cracking grout, dirty caulking. A regrout could help.

Agreed. They are showing their age alongside the kitchen.

I am appalled at the extent of this project. Not even bare minimum: this a soft goods 2.0 masquerading as a hard goods, years late.

 

[upritbass]

Agreed. They are showing their age alongside the kitchen.

I am appalled at the extent of this project. Not even bare minimum: this a soft goods 2.0 masquerading as a hard goods, years late.

I don't get it. What dirty cracked grouting are you referring to? Our room was fine.

What do you mean by "Not even bare minimum"? Oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer/dryer, large Murphy bed, couch, flooring, carpet aren't hard goods? Tough crowd.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I don't get it. What dirty cracked grouting are you referring to? Our room was fine.

What do you mean by "Not even bare minimum"? Oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer/dryer, large Murphy bed, couch, flooring, carpet aren't hard goods? Tough crowd.

I do think folks can sometimes use overly harsh language online... but life is a series of comparisons, and hard goods refurbishments have been more extensive at other resorts. By comparison, VGC didn't appear to get as much. Doesn't mean the rooms aren't "fine," but recent refurbishments elsewhere set up expectations for more.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Is anyone else concerned that if they get a lot of complaints on this, they will decide to rip out cabinets and tiles and replace them with something cheap instead?

 

[VGCgroupie]

I don't get it. What dirty cracked grouting are you referring to? Our room was fine.

What do you mean by "Not even bare minimum"? Oven, stove, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer/dryer, large Murphy bed, couch, flooring, carpet aren't hard goods? Tough crowd.

The tile is 15 years old, dues are paid and hard goods refurb was expected by all, this so far hasn't been what should've been done. Not every room is going to be in the same condition as the next, have you stayed in every single room to verify that the tile is fine?

 

[AstroBlasters]

The tile is 15 years old, dues are paid and hard goods refurb was expected by all, this so far hasn't been what should've been done. Not every room is going to be in the same condition as the next, have you stayed in every single room to verify that the tile is fine?

I just don’t want them to replace it with fiberglass that looks like fake tile or marble.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I just don’t want them to replace it with fiberglass that looks like fake tile or marble.

I haven't seen any new hard goods refurbed rooms in person, is that what they are doing?

 

[AstroBlasters]

I haven't seen any new hard goods refurbed rooms in person, is that what they are doing?

Isn’t that what is in Disneyland Villas, and Poly, and RIV, etc?

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Isn’t that what is in Disneyland Villas, and Poly, and RIV, etc?

I thought Riviera bathrooms had marble floors and showers

Edited to clarify

 

[AstroBlasters]

I thought Riviera bathrooms had marble floors

I don’t think the concern is the floors…. and I would question that they are real marble….even if they are, the actual shower is fiberglass.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Isn’t that what is in Disneyland Villas, and Poly, and RIV, etc?

I somewhat of a snob about interior design. I didnt notice the VDH bathrooms feeling cheap in the showers in the 2 bed. It wasnt fiberglass on the walls, Im pretty sure it was tile but large format tile to minimize grout lines (I will look again when we go next week) . The studio we stayed in im pretty sure had tile in the shower/bath combo... I remember the grout was cracked and missing even though it was new and the shower door wouldn't stay closed, so this is where I agree about doing new things often when they install and do new items things just aren't done as well as they did things in the past sadly.

 

[ark101]

I somewhat of a snob about interior design. I didnt notice the VDH bathrooms feeling cheap in the showers in the 2 bed. It wasnt fiberglass on the walls, Im pretty sure it was tile but large format tile to minimize grout lines (I will look again when we go next week) . The studio we stayed in im pretty sure had tile in the shower/bath combo... I remember the grout was cracked and missing even though it was new and the shower door wouldn't stay closed, so this is where I agree about doing new things often when they install and do new items things just aren't done as well as they did things in the past sadly.

The bathrooms at both VGF and RIV have marble flooring and tile/marble in the showers. The bathrooms in VGF are the nicest of all DVC I stayed at. We usually stay in 2BR and this is purely my opinion. I did not stay in VGF before they were refurbed to compare before and after though.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Agreed. They are showing their age alongside the kitchen.

I am appalled at the extent of this project. Not even bare minimum: this a soft goods 2.0 masquerading as a hard goods, years late.

I think this is what I find odd too, this feels a lot more like a soft good refurb and not a hard goods refurb. The reality is that there are a small number of DVC rooms at VGC and they are constantly booked up meaning they have been well used for over 15 years. Any residence needs a big refurbishment after that many years, especially when you consider that it's hotel guests staying there and not necessarily people treating stuff with the care they might at home. I would have expected the tub to be replaced, the toilets and sinks, the kitchen cabinets (at least the doors and drawers), the tile - sure, it's cleaned, but there's also been wear and tear on the tiles/grout etc.

The toilet in the bathroom of our 1br villa in Jan definitely needed, at the very least, a new seat. The balcony door needs to be fixed/replaced.

Yes, a refurbishment may take away from some of the look of the Grand, but I don't think it HAS to.

 

[BlueGreen5]

The bathrooms at both VGF and RIV have marble flooring and tile/marble in the showers. The bathrooms in VGF are the nicest of all DVC I stayed at.

I thought Riviera bathrooms had marble floors and showers

VGF's bathroom floors (including shower) and vanity are marble. The showers walls are not marble - they are white subway tile.

But points like these are the genesis of my two questions yesterday.

VGC and VGF are the "flagship" resorts of their respective parks. VGF is walking distance from MK - not nearly as short of a walk as VGC, but sort of a fair comparison. VGF's points charts are similar to VGC's as well. And the MF are a little better for VGF, but I suspect that has more to do with state and local tax differences than anything. So, I think VGF is fair game for comparison.

And the reason I ask is because the cynic in me is starting to wonder if VGC got intentionally short-changed on the refurb because of VDH. After taxes, it's not notably cheaper to stay at VDH relative to VGC. But, VGC is more convenient and if they dumped a ton of resources into a hard refurb that made VGC the envy of even VGF, it would be so much more difficult to justify buying in at VDH over finding a VGC resale contract. And, if that was even a fraction of the motivation here, that would infuriate the HECK out of me. I hope this was not the case of propping something up by cutting something else down.