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

[VGCgroupie]

That line of thinking is just nonsensical to me. They have a legal and fiduciary duty to the owners.

100%

 

[JeffCD]

Hi All,
Coming up on my second time to make a reservation at VGC. (relatively new member) So, I've been watching availability (super nervous about getting my dates), and noticed something that seems unusual. I really can't imagine that single day reservations, and on Mondays are that popular. Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening? Really just curious, I'll be logged in at 5:45am eleven months to the day prior to my dates and hoping for fleet fingers, and good luck.
Thanks,
Jeff

 

[eticketplease]

Hi All,
Coming up on my second time to make a reservation at VGC. (relatively new member) So, I've been watching availability (super nervous about getting my dates), and noticed something that seems unusual. I really can't imagine that single day reservations, and on Mondays are that popular. Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening? Really just curious, I'll be logged in at 5:45am eleven months to the day prior to my dates and hoping for fleet fingers, and good luck.
Thanks,
Jeff
View attachment 988595

My only guess is people are anticipating Grad Nites.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Hi All,
Coming up on my second time to make a reservation at VGC. (relatively new member) So, I've been watching availability (super nervous about getting my dates), and noticed something that seems unusual. I really can't imagine that single day reservations, and on Mondays are that popular. Anyone have any ideas as to why this might be happening? Really just curious, I'll be logged in at 5:45am eleven months to the day prior to my dates and hoping for fleet fingers, and good luck.
Thanks,
Jeff
View attachment 988595

You are not allowed to post this.

 

[JeffCD]

You are not allowed to post this.

I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that this wasn't allowed. I'm assuming it was the calendar; I went ahead and deleted it. If I'm not supposed to ask about reservation availability, please let me know and I'll delete the entire post.
Again, I apologize to everyone.
Jeff

 

[AstroBlasters]

I'm so sorry, I didn't realize that this wasn't allowed. I'm assuming it was the calendar; I went ahead and deleted it. If I'm not supposed to ask about reservation availability, please let me know and I'll delete the entire post.
Again, I apologize to everyone.
Jeff

I don’t think there is any need to apologize to everyone, but I do want to make sure I give you a heads up so that you don’t get put in the penalty box by the moderators.

We aren’t supposed to post about real time availability because it is always changing. General questions or statements like “is there a reason that most of the Monday’s in June are already booked up?” are probably just fine.

 

[Girlstar30]

I could probably go to the Cali meeting I'll be in the area with family in December or do you have to be a vgc owner?

 

[eticketplease]

I could probably go to the Cali meeting I'll be in the area with family in December or do you have to be a vgc owner?

You have to be an owner of the resort to attend the owners meetings. For example, you could attend the animal kingdom one.

 

[Girlstar30]

You have to be an owner of the resort to attend the owners meetings. For example, you could attend the animal kingdom one.

Ah ok then never mind I cant go

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

even if this was a so called "soft goods" refurb that the coffee pot, toasters and microwave as well as the bathroom fixtures like shower heads in the studios were not replaced and these are relatively low cost items that often get replaced in soft good refurbs.

This is news to me that these items are typically replaced in soft goods refurbishments. The coffee makers have recently hit the list because of changing to a single cup maker. Microwaves? Nope. Toasters? Nope. Not even shower fixtures. Of course this was supposed to be a hard goods - soft goods was done a few years ago.

However I've said this before, I certainly am willing to give DVC a pass for certain things because of the astronomical price hikes we've seen especially on the west coast in construction costs. If anyone thinks they've squirreled money away and are using it elsewhere then they need to contact DVC but I do not think that's the case. Could they have allocated the funds differently and brought in cheap furniture and cheap appliances and lowered quality of carpets etc sure but I say no thanks. That also has been done in the past and it's ultimately a waste of money. Any of the things listed in appliances will get changed out if they are not working for you during a stay.

I'll be there in a little over a month and perhaps I'll change my mind after seeing it in person but I didn't have an issue with things during another stay shortly before the refurb so I think it's unlikely.

 

[Liquidice]

This is news to me that these items are typically replaced in soft goods refurbishments. The coffee makers have recently hit the list because of changing to a single cup maker. Microwaves? Nope. Toasters? Nope. Not even shower fixtures. Of course this was supposed to be a hard goods - soft goods was done a few years ago.

However I've said this before, I certainly am willing to give DVC a pass for certain things because of the astronomical price hikes we've seen especially on the west coast in construction costs. If anyone thinks they've squirreled money away and are using it elsewhere then they need to contact DVC but I do not think that's the case. Could they have allocated the funds differently and brought in cheap furniture and cheap appliances and lowered quality of carpets etc sure but I say no thanks. That also has been done in the past and it's ultimately a waste of money. Any of the things listed in appliances will get changed out if they are not working for you during a stay.

I'll be there in a little over a month and perhaps I'll change my mind after seeing it in person but I didn't have an issue with things during another stay shortly before the refurb so I think it's unlikely.

It may just be the coffee pot that got replaced during a soft goods refurb - but normally like you said during a hard goods refurb all of that would get replaced. Carpet usually gets replaced and murphy beds have gotten added to the recent soft goods refurb. So this feels more like a soft goods refurb and in some ways even less so than other resorts got for their soft goods refurb.

Here's my thing - if it was too expensive to replace certain things, why didn't they replace the coffee pot with a Keurig one, and replace the shower fixtures with newer ones at least? Those items are not that expensive to replace.

And there was plenty of money in the Capital Reserved fund, more on average per vacation unit than other resorts that recently had a hard goods refurbishment. So ok, maybe we didn't have enough money for a full bathroom remodel, but a $200 Keurig Duo coffee pot? Don't tell me that the Mr. Coffee pots are all still working, so they decided to keep it. I don't even drink coffee but I just find it all baffling.

However, my worry isn't solely about what they've done and whether I'm OK with it or not, but what they've done with our money from the Capital Reserve funds. I'd like to know how the money was spent. If they decided it was too expensive and they didn't spend much of the money in Capital Reserves and are instead saving for a larger refurb in the future - even if I wished there were a more thorough refurb, at least it has a good explanation.

Its feasible there is some other logical explanation, maybe the foundation cracked and if they didn't repair it using Capital Reserve funds the whole hotel could come crumbling down. We just don't know.

Currently, we're in the dark on what happened, so I think its fair to at least ask DVC what happened and ask for them to explain since the Capital Reserve funds is our (owners) money and compared to other refurbs, this one is significantly different and closer to a soft goods refurb.

You said you're willing to give DVC a pass. Would you give them a pass with the refurb as it is if you found out that DVC had dumped $7M of our Capital Reserve funds into a slush fund with the hotel side and hotel management picked what to spend the money on and they only spent $2M on the Villas side? I am not saying that is what happened - but I'd really like to know what really happened here with the money set aside for the refurb.

 

[AstroBlasters]

This is news to me that these items are typically replaced in soft goods refurbishments. The coffee makers have recently hit the list because of changing to a single cup maker. Microwaves? Nope. Toasters? Nope. Not even shower fixtures. Of course this was supposed to be a hard goods - soft goods was done a few years ago.

However I've said this before, I certainly am willing to give DVC a pass for certain things because of the astronomical price hikes we've seen especially on the west coast in construction costs. If anyone thinks they've squirreled money away and are using it elsewhere then they need to contact DVC but I do not think that's the case. Could they have allocated the funds differently and brought in cheap furniture and cheap appliances and lowered quality of carpets etc sure but I say no thanks. That also has been done in the past and it's ultimately a waste of money. Any of the things listed in appliances will get changed out if they are not working for you during a stay.

I'll be there in a little over a month and perhaps I'll change my mind after seeing it in person but I didn't have an issue with things during another stay shortly before the refurb so I think it's unlikely.

AFTER 14 YEARS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A HARD GOODS REFURBISHMENT

 

[eticketplease]

It may just be the coffee pot that got replaced during a soft goods refurb - but normally like you said during a hard goods refurb all of that would get replaced. Carpet usually gets replaced and murphy beds have gotten added to the recent soft goods refurb. So this feels more like a soft goods refurb and in some ways even less so than other resorts got for their soft goods refurb.

Here's my thing - if it was too expensive to replace certain things, why didn't they replace the coffee pot with a Keurig one, and replace the shower fixtures with newer ones at least? Those items are not that expensive to replace.

And there was plenty of money in the Capital Reserved fund, more on average per vacation unit than other resorts that recently had a hard goods refurbishment. So ok, maybe we didn't have enough money for a full bathroom remodel, but a $200 Keurig Duo coffee pot? Don't tell me that the Mr. Coffee pots are all still working, so they decided to keep it. I don't even drink coffee but I just find it all baffling.

However, my worry isn't solely about what they've done and whether I'm OK with it or not, but what they've done with our money from the Capital Reserve funds. I'd like to know how the money was spent. If they decided it was too expensive and they didn't spend much of the money in Capital Reserves and are instead saving for a larger refurb in the future - even if I wished there were a more thorough refurb, at least it has a good explanation.

Its feasible there is some other logical explanation, maybe the foundation cracked and if they didn't repair it using Capital Reserve funds the whole hotel could come crumbling down. We just don't know.

Currently, we're in the dark on what happened, so I think its fair to at least ask DVC what happened and ask for them to explain since the Capital Reserve funds is our (owners) money and compared to other refurbs, this one is significantly different and closer to a soft goods refurb.

You said you're willing to give DVC a pass. Would you give them a pass with the refurb as it is if you found out that DVC had dumped $7M of our Capital Reserve funds into a slush fund with the hotel side and hotel management picked what to spend the money on and they only spent $2M on the Villas side? I am not saying that is what happened - but I'd really like to know what really happened here with the money set aside for the refurb.

I agree with @KAT4DISNEY

Soft refurbs routinely have not had these items replaced in the past. Couches weren’t replaced either. With the popularity of RIV new build and the hard goods refurb at SSR, DVC decided to swap out the couch for the Murphy bed at the PVB longhouses and then over to the original building at VGF.

I was not shocked that these items were not replaced as they seem to have treated this as a soft goods refurb instead of the hard goods refurb that it was scheduled for. In true soft goods fashion our room did not have the sleeper chair or flip down twin replaced and only the floors were touched from what I could tell.

 

[eticketplease]

AFTER 14 YEARS IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE A HARD GOODS REFURBISHMENT

Of course this was supposed to be a hard goods - soft goods was done a few years ago.

Yes @KAT4DISNEY knows it was supposed to be hard goods refurb

 

[AstroBlasters]

Yes @KAT4DISNEY knows it was supposed to be hard goods refurb

Then why are they talking about soft good refurbs? It is absolute BS to move the goal posts about this refurb.

 

[eticketplease]

Then why are they talking about soft good refurbs? It is absolute BS to move the goal posts about this refurb.

I can’t speak for @KAT4DISNEY but I assume (highlighting the me in the old saying lol) it is because of not getting a keurig that @Liquidice mentioned along with other appliances being replaced in a soft goods refurb.

Kat was stating they aren’t typically replaced during soft goods but that it really shouldn’t matter as it was supposed to be a hard goods refurb and therefore been replaced.

At least that is the way I was reading it.
Hopefully I didn’t make myself look to much like Eeyore

 

[eticketplease]

but I'd really like to know what really happened here with the money set aside for the refurb.

You are not alone!!

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

Having now stayed last week, I still think that in the year 2025, it was reasonable to expect bright (but dimmable) overhead lighting, night lights that can be dimmed independently of each other on the master bed (or a small reading light for each side), and a lot lot more USB ports (beyond the one on the clock and the charging surface atop the clock).

I love VGC for its location and the main hotel theming, but the lighting and showers need some love…I also suspect as the VGC ownership ages, I think there will be more and more complaints about dim lighting (but maybe not modern charging technology, lol).

I’d like to know if we are getting a (now long overdue) hard goods refurb in a few years or if they consider it mission accomplished and we’re expected to wait another decade for a bathroom that can match your average Westin.