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

[supercarrie]

Holiday magnets at Starview Station - I did suggest they have a V-GC version next year!

View attachment 917904

Love this! You convinced me to try to snag a Magic Key reservation cancellation just to go pick up this magnet.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Whenever I am at a DVC event and the Guides ask for people’s home resorts…. everyone looks at me like a unicorn when I say Grand Cal….

When we went to a podium at the Magic Kingdom to get a button, they asked my home resort...which at the time was only VGC, and the guy said something along those lines.

 

[Mathmagicland]

A couple of pics -

Thought this looked magical this morning, the driveway entrance trees with the marine layer mist -



And this magnet on a car in the parking lot. I’m guessing it is a custom thing as I don’t recall seeing them anywhere before.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Ugh…. Grand Cal point chart for March Spring break was moved from 2nd highest to highest season…..

 

[VGCgroupie]

Ugh…. Grand Cal point chart for March Spring break was moved from 2nd highest to highest season…..

Wow I’m shocked I finally get some reprieve for my sons April birthday trips.

 

[AstroBlasters]

I foresee myself walking a reservation for the 2028 LA Olympics….

 

[ehh]

Ugh…. Grand Cal point chart for March Spring break was moved from 2nd highest to highest season…..

And the first week of September was moved from lowest season to 2nd highest. Guessing that race weekend is becoming permanent, or maybe it's Labor Day landing on the 7th in 2026.

 

[ehh]

And the first week of September was moved from lowest season to 2nd highest. Guessing that race weekend is becoming permanent, or maybe it's Labor Day landing on the 7th in 2026.

Digging into this further now that I have a bit more time.

First, it looks like it's based on when Labor Day lands. 2020 had the same Labor Day date and the same season for this week.

For us, this takes a 142pt stay and makes it 232pts in 2026.

Not sure we can push it back a week to go back into 142pt territory, anticipating work engagements. Slipping it a day back to include Labor Day drops it to 211pts. Still roughly a 50% increase in points for the ~same weekend.

Might do a switcheroo with VDH for 'late Labor Day' years, which would be 146pts, and then do VGC when we normally do VDH a couple months later.

The switcheroo would take our annual DL stays from 456pts combined (142 + 142 + 172) to 462pts combined (142 + 146 + 174), vs. holding steady with our dates would be 546pts combined (or 525pts by slipping our Sept stay back 1 day).

We have room in our points budget to accommodate the 456pt/525pt fluctuation longterm, but having a really hard time overcoming the '50% more points for the same weekend' mental hurdle. Likely going to do the 456pt/462pt fluctuation going forward.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Digging into this further now that I have a bit more time.

First, it looks like it's based on when Labor Day lands. 2020 had the same Labor Day date and the same season for this week.

For us, this takes a 142pt stay and makes it 232pts in 2026.

Not sure we can push it back a week to go back into 142pt territory, anticipating work engagements. Slipping it a day back to include Labor Day drops it to 211pts. Still roughly a 50% increase in points for the ~same weekend.

Might do a switcheroo with VDH for 'late Labor Day' years, which would be 146pts, and then do VGC when we normally do VDH a couple months later.

The switcheroo would take our annual DL stays from 456pts combined (142 + 142 + 172) to 462pts combined (142 + 146 + 174), vs. holding steady with our dates would be 546pts combined (or 525pts by slipping our Sept stay back 1 day).

We have room in our points budget to accommodate the 456pt/525pt fluctuation longterm, but having a really hard time overcoming the '50% more points for the same weekend' mental hurdle. Likely going to do the 456pt/462pt fluctuation going forward.

Yeah, the “switch-a-roo” makes a lot of sense.

 

[ClaraOswald]

Hmm...I think all of the times we usually go still fall into the two lowest tiers - late January/early February, mid to late June, early December. In 2026, we'll likely do a June trip and just make sure to leave by the 28th.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Hmm...I think all of the times we usually go still fall into the two lowest tiers - late January/early February, mid to late June, early December. In 2026, we'll likely do a June trip and just make sure to leave by the 28th.

Yeah, our schools don’t get out until mid-June…. But they don’t start until late August….

 

[VGCgroupie]

Yeah, our schools don’t get out until mid-June…. But they don’t start until late August….

We homeschool but I chose to give birth to my kids in all the high cost vacation seasons.

 

[lilsonicfan]

Seems like the March move for 2026 was based on Easter, and the September move was based on Labour Day. Here in Canada or at least my part of it, our kids never go back to school before Labour Day (summer usually doesn't start till June 26 or so). We also always have the same spring break weeks in March, regardless of Easter - they never move it to be closer to Easter, but will include Easter if it falls in the last weekend in March. So our spring break is still in season 3 and a late summer trip before school starts again is also still in season 3.

 

[lilsonicfan]

It is so weird to me that VDH has different seasons than VGC.

 

[ClaraOswald]

It's always interesting to see other places school calendars. I just looked at ours for the 2025/2026 school year. My son goes back on August 13th, 2025. Gets out on May 22nd, 2026.

Spring break in 2026 will be the week before Easter.

We've never done the parks during Spring Break and I'm not sure I would based on the points for that time of year. We just don't have enough for VGC during those high points seasons. So I still just pull my kid out for a week long trip each winter to either WDW or DLR. If we didn't feel comfortable doing that, we'd stick to June only.

 

[PiratesOfTheSea]

I was thinking about the 2nd week of April 26 during my son's Spring Break but Jesus took care of that. I took a look at Easter dates and Spring Premier Seasons and they have historically started the Friday before and ended the Saturday after:

Year	Easter Date	Spring Premier Season
2026	Apr 5	Mar 27 - Apr 11
2025	Apr 20	Apr 11 - Apr 26
2024	Mar 31	Mar 22 - Apr 6
2023	Apr 9	Mar 31 - Apr 15
2022	Apr 17	Apr 8 - Apr 23
2021	Apr 4	Mar 26 - Apr 10
2020	Apr 12	Apr 3 - Apr 18
2019	Apr 21	Apr 12 - Apr 27
2018	Apr 1	Mar 23 - Apr 7
2017	Apr 16	Apr 7 - Apr 22
2016	Mar 27	Mar 18 - Apr 2
2015	Apr 5	Mar 27 - Apr 11
2014	Apr 20	Apr 11- Apr 26
2013	Mar 31	Mar 22 - Apr 6
2012	Apr 8	Apr 1 -Apr 14
2011	Apr 24	Apr 15 - Apr 30
2010	Apr 4	Mar 26 - Apr 10

Based on that one would expect the following dates for "Premier Season" the following 5 years assuming no major changes to the seasons:

Year	Easter Date	Spring Premier Season
2027	Mar 28	Mar 19 - Apr 3
2028	Apr 16	Apr 7 - Apr 22
2029	Apr 1	Mar 23 - Apr 7
2030	Apr 21	Apr 12 - Apr 27
2031	Apr 13	Apr 4 - Apr 19

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

It's always interesting to see other places school calendars. I just looked at ours for the 2025/2026 school year. My son goes back on August 13th, 2025. Gets out on May 22nd, 2026.

Spring break in 2026 will be the week before Easter.

We've never done the parks during Spring Break and I'm not sure I would based on the points for that time of year. We just don't have enough for VGC during those high points seasons. So I still just pull my kid out for a week long trip each winter to either WDW or DLR. If we didn't feel comfortable doing that, we'd stick to June only.

Don't have kids yet but the plan is to change that within the next year or two. DH doesn't like the idea of pulling kids out of school in early December but it's when I most like to do to the parks in either coast. I'm hoping to change his mind by the time it'll matter, lol, because Florida summers especially are unbearable

 

[ClaraOswald]

Don't have kids yet but the plan is to change that within the next year or two. DH doesn't like the idea of pulling kids out of school in early December but it's when I most like to do to the parks in either coast. I'm hoping to change his mind by the time it'll matter, lol, because Florida summers especially are unbearable

Yeah, we don't do WDW in the Summer at all. So far we're just sticking to WDW in late January/early February. But we may sneak an early December one in some year.

Pulling out son out in December isn't my favorite though. We want to avoid the candlelight processional crowds so we end up pulling him out of school for a week after that. Then he goes back to school for just 1 week. Then he's on Christmas break for 2 weeks. It throws him off a bit so that's why we try to do January/June more often.

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Yeah, we don't do WDW in the Summer at all. So far we're just sticking to WDW in late January/early February. But we may sneak an early December one in some year.

Pulling out son out in December isn't my favorite though. We want to avoid the candlelight processional crowds so we end up pulling him out of school for a week after that. Then he goes back to school for just 1 week. Then he's on Christmas break for 2 weeks. It throws him off a bit so that's why we try to do January/June more often.

Might need to do January, too, then. I guess we'll reassess at the time, not definitely not summer at WDW, lol

 

[VGCgroupie]

Don't have kids yet but the plan is to change that within the next year or two. DH doesn't like the idea of pulling kids out of school in early December but it's when I most like to do to the parks in either coast. I'm hoping to change his mind by the time it'll matter, lol, because Florida summers especially are unbearable

Many schools get winter breaks and fall breaks so still a chance to not miss as much school time.