VDH First look at Studios ; Wheres the Value ?

[thelionqueen]

Yeesh, I love pretty much any Disney resort, and definitely adore DLH, but I think you may not have had a lot of stays at WDW resorts. Many have very beautiful grounds. Walking around Grand Floridian with the building lit up, Seven Seas Lagoon reflecting the lights, and Cinderella's Castle in the distance... very magical. Same with the Poly with the tiki torches lit up... the Boardwalk area is awesome... seeing giraffes outside your window at AKL... even moderates like Coronado Springs have lovely and amazingly themed grounds. WDW hotels actually have grounds thanks to all the space.

Yeeesh, Not sure why you’d assume the number of my WDW stays, or why that matters..but..just to clarify, I’ve stayed at every single Disney hotel/resort worldwide (except Aulani). I’ve stayed at WDW & DLR dozens and dozens of times..more than I can count honestly. I consider my travel experience significant as I’ve gone to Disney every year of my 54 year life & will continue to do so until I physically can’t any more.

All that really means nothing as it’s my personal opinion which I prefer. I stayed @ DLH when the monorail & cafe were attached, the dancing waters nightly show, waterfall caverns & etc.. and have seen it evolve over the decades.

There’s obviously a strong heartfelt connection to that resort, but the intimacy, decor and pure Disney magic around every corner, is why it’s my favorite. There is no other resort on the planet (Tokyo comes close) that has that same vibe.

Of all the resorts you listed that you like, only BWV is one I feel is special. I now own @ GFV & generally don’t like the resort all that much. Couldn’t pay me to stay @ RIV or AKL, yet they are favorites to others.

In short, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and don’t need to justify it. Disney has something for everyone!

 

[thelionqueen]

Yeah, I completely disagree.

There's not much of a bubble at DLR period. There's one amazing park, one second-rate booze/food park with a few cool attractions and a shopping district that's 1/3 gone now and seems to be perpetually under construction.

Grand Cal is worth it, if you can afford it. The proximity is priceless, Napa Rose is an experience and the theming is on point with a WDW resort.

However, Disneyland Hotel, while nostalgic, is not worth upward of the $750+ per night they charge for it (cash rooms). It's a second-tier location, for now. If you're a Disney nerd, you're going to love it. However, the rest of your party is going to wonder why you paid 2x the price per night to stay there. They won't get it. It has the best pool area.

I will say for DVC members, the villas are probably worth it. I'd still waitlist GCV just as a Hail Mary to avoid the transient tax, but there's no way I'd pay for a cash room there at this point.

Paradise Pier? Disney would have tore that hotel down long ago if they could get the land owners and Anaheim to agree to it. You can keep putting lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig.

You can stay at much nicer hotels (like Westin) for less near the convention center with better views of DCA and it's a short walk to the parks. Some of them even include such outdated amenities like free coffee in the lobby (gasp) or a continental breakfast (heart be still).

As for WDW, it's a huge hassle to stay off site. You have to drive in, traffic is horrible, park, ride a tram (if you're lucky) and if you're going to MK you get to deal with the TTC and monorail/boat.

Total pain. I'd rather be able to walk from my resort, take a Skyliner, take a monorail, take a boat or even a Disney bus than deal with the traffic and parking around WDW.

Then you get into the other on-site perks like magic hours and booking Genie+ & LL's early, not having to pay for parking, etc.

But everyone is different. So you do you.

Everyone does what’s best for them. I agree I wouldn’t pay cash rates to stay at any of the 3 DLR hotels. And Paradise Pier is the red headed step child, but not that as bad as you described imo. It’s the “value” resort at DL which at least gives guests an opportunity to stay off Harbor for a bit less. Which is why staying DVC there is the best option.

And yes, I agree that staying offsite at WDW is much more of a pain, but, in contrast to DLR you generally don’t fear for your life when going back to it

Good thing there’s an option for everyone

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

Yeeesh, Not sure why you’d assume the number of my WDW stays, or why that matters..but..just to clarify, I’ve stayed at every single Disney hotel/resort worldwide (except Aulani). I’ve stayed at WDW & DLR dozens and dozens of times..more than I can count honestly. I consider my travel experience significant as I’ve gone to Disney every year of my 54 year life & will continue to do so until I physically can’t any more.

All that really means nothing as it’s my personal opinion which I prefer. I stayed @ DLH when the monorail & cafe were attached, the dancing waters nightly show, waterfall caverns & etc.. and have seen it evolve over the decades.

There’s obviously a strong heartfelt connection to that resort, but the intimacy, decor and pure Disney magic around every corner, is why it’s my favorite. There is no other resort on the planet (Tokyo comes close) that has that same vibe.

Of all the resorts you listed that you like, only BWV is one I feel is special. I now own @ GFV & generally don’t like the resort all that much. Couldn’t pay me to stay @ RIV or AKL, yet they are favorites to others.

In short, everyone is entitled to their own opinion and don’t need to justify it. Disney has something for everyone!

Ah, I took your original post as a declaration of how superior the grounds are at the DLR properties, and I was like: what grounds?! Lol. But I couldn't agree more that as a matter of opinion, what feels magical is very personal and it's great there's something for most people!

I actually love DLH despite the small footprint. I unfortunately never got to stay there when the monorail and cafe were attached, but I inherited the nostalgia nonetheless.

Re: the WDW resorts I listed: I was just recognizing them for their pretty grounds, they're not necessarily my favorites. I can appreciate pretty much any Disney resort... but actually avoid staying at VGF and AKL if I have choices. Lovely, but not my favorites. Meanwhile, CR (or rather, BLT) is my favorite and it doesn't even have pretty grounds. But it's classic Disney and the views and feel are magical to me so we stay there a lot, as well as DLH when we're on the West coast. Have stayed at all the US resorts and all the Paris ones and those two are our favorites. Will finally see the Tokyo ones next year but will be a few years before we can stay at all of those as I don't like moving around a lot on a single trip lol

 

[thelionqueen]

Park Vue 4 lyfe.

Stayed there last trip due to recommendations for a quick trip. I literally got up many times during the night to make sure my door was bolted. Looked for anything I could use as a weapon as I laid back down on a thrift store mattress. Only to walk through a 24hr Dennys parking to go get to/from my room.. no thanks!! I would absolutely never stay there again. It’s actually the experience that convinced me to pay any price for a resort hotel.

 

[tidefan]

Stayed there last trip due to recommendations for a quick trip. I literally got up many times during the night to make sure my door was bolted. Looked for anything I could use as a weapon as I payed back down on a thrift store mattress. I would absolutely never stay there again. It’s actually the experience that convinced me to pay any price for a resort hotel.

We stayed at the Element Anaheim in June and it was fantastic. It was about a 12 minute walk to the hotel, but it wasn't bad at all. Yes, there is one person residing south of the entrance, but with the number of people heading out, we never felt unsafe at all. Also, if we rather wanted an Uber, it was only $6 to get back.

We'd stay there again in a heartbeat... and it was under $200 per night, which is what staying at VDH on points would cost me in TAT. I'd rather just use my points at Aulani or WDW.

 

[AstroBlasters]

We stayed at the Element Anaheim in June and it was fantastic. It was about a 12 minute walk to the hotel, but it wasn't bad at all. Yes, there is one person residing south of the entrance, but with the number of people heading out, we never felt unsafe at all. Also, if we rather wanted an Uber, it was only $6 to get back.

We'd stay there again in a heartbeat... and it was under $200 per night, which is what staying at VDH on points would cost me in TAT. I'd rather just use my points at Aulani or WDW.

I have had very mixed experiences with Uber since the park reopened after the pandemic. A number of trips accepted and then canceled while my family waited in a blazing hot ride-share lot to go back for our mid-day rest.

I know I have a good rating and tip well…

Not going through that again.

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

Does the tub in the one and two bedrooms look short? Not sure I’d fit that well. Certainly shorter on video than Riviera’s.

It has me a bit concerned because the Polynesian tower bathroom layouts looked very similar.

 

[Brian Noble]

DVC is a niche product. It's for people who (a) have non-trivial disposable income and (b) are bigger-than-average Disney fans. DVC at DLR is a niche within that niche--even many "big time" Disney fans who would never stay offsite in Florida are perfectly happy along Harbor.

But the DVC component at DLR is still very small, so it's perfectly fine to be a niche-within-a-niche, and Disney would be foolish not to squeeze every last dollar out of their limited footprint there. So, both of these statements can be true at the same time:

1. Most people do not see value in a VDH purchase.
2. VDH will sell like hotcakes and be very profitable.

This is the trick number one they teach at "how to scam people into buying a timeshare" training.

My brother and his wife are a dual-MBA couple, at one point were doing a lot of business travel with Hilton, and decided to take the HGVC tour. The sales agent tried this trick, which my brother called him on immediately. The agent hemmed and hawed, went off on some other part of the sales script, but eventually came back to this angle and tried it again.

At this point my brother looked at him and said: "Look, we already talked about this. The fact that you are still doing it means either you are incompetent, or you think I am. Either way, our conversation is over." [There's a reason my mom chose him to be her financial POA--he's much better at all of this than I am.]

It's a shame, because they would have been great candidates for timeshare ownership.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Does the tub in the one and two bedrooms look short? Not sure I’d fit that well. Certainly shorter on video than Riviera’s.

It has me a bit concerned because the Polynesian tower bathroom layouts looked very similar.

All standard bathtubs are 60" in length. While you can source 72" soaking tubs, you can't source a tub that's less than 60" long. Rough-in dimensions in construction rely on consistency, especially in hotel construction. Now, the actual bathing vessel can vary in dimension by a small amounts, with larger or smaller rims, sides with different slopes, etc. and that can make some look or be marginally smaller than others, but they're all 60".

 

[MarkNC2Disney]

All standard bathtubs are 60" in length. While you can source 72" soaking tubs, you can't source a tub that's less than 60" long. Rough-in dimensions in construction rely on consistency, especially in hotel construction. Now, the actual bathing vessel can vary in dimension by a small amounts, with larger or smaller rims, sides with different slopes, etc. and that can make some look or be marginally smaller than others, but they're all 60".

Yup, that's fine, but my point was it looks short relative to most other DVC tubs (we were just at Riviera so that's my most recent frame of reference). Are all DVC tubs 60"?

 

[DonMacGregor]

Yup, that's fine, but my point was it looks short relative to most other DVC tubs (we were just at Riviera so that's my most recent frame of reference). Are all DVC tubs 60"?

99% of all bathtubs in America are 60". There are definitely a handful of vendors making 66" tubs, and Riviera may well have them, but if they do, Disney is paying a ridiculous premium for them, and I'd bet Riviera is the only resort with them. I know SSR, BCV, CCV, and BRV all have standard 60" tubs (as a builder, an oversized alcove (built-in) tub is really obvious).

 

[Wedgeout]

All standard bathtubs are 60" in length. While you can source 72" soaking tubs, you can't source a tub that's less than 60" long. Rough-in dimensions in construction rely on consistency, especially in hotel construction. Now, the actual bathing vessel can vary in dimension by a small amounts, with larger or smaller rims, sides with different slopes, etc. and that can make some look or be marginally smaller than others, but they're all 60".

Must say your general knowledge about stuff is fun to read and impressive the way you present it. You didn’t stay at Holiday Inn last night…That’s for sure.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Must say your general knowledge about stuff is fun to read and impressive the way you present it. You didn’t stay at Holiday Inn last night…That’s for sure.

40 years in construction, the last 30 as a general contractor. We've built a good dozen hotels, and a couple thousand single family homes, plus a few restaurants and other commercial projects here and there. Licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.

 

[Wedgeout]

40 years in construction, the last 30 as a general contractor. We've built a good dozen hotels, and a couple thousand single family homes, plus a few restaurants and other commercial projects here and there. Licensed in California, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.

Nice!! Worked with a guy that had the worldly knowledge. We called him “Mr Peabody” . I once piloted a CHP cruiser for 29 years out in the desert. Now up to 7 years, just enjoying the real life again.

 

[Spivey378]

Stayed there last trip due to recommendations for a quick trip. I literally got up many times during the night to make sure my door was bolted. Looked for anything I could use as a weapon as I payed back down on a thrift store mattress. Only to walk through a 24hr Dennys parking to go get to/from my room.. no thanks!! I would absolutely never stay there again. It’s actually the experience that convinced me to pay any price for a resort hotel.

That Dennys is a great place to get your late night snack on!

 

[thelionqueen]

That Dennys is a great place to get your late night snack on!

That could very well be, but walking through its parking lot to get to my room is sketch

 

[we"reofftoneverland]

We are afraid our catalytic converter will get stolen if we stay offsite

 

[skier_pete]

Disneyland hotel (and VDH) are not really about "Value" at least not cash value. You can stay in very nice hotels much cheaper nearby. And we've stayed on Harbor and had very nice trips. But could not resist the call of DVC. As we only go every 2-3 years. (Our trip next year will be almost 5 years since the last one but COVID partly to blame.) so a very small contract (50 points) cost us $450 a year in dues for the ability to enjoy DLR from "in the bubble" and totally worth it to us. When deciding on buying in we actually talked about FOMO...I asked my wife "How will you feel for the next 30 years when we are staying at the Tropicana looking at the VDH, will you be regretting it or by OK with it." she said "I would be very sad", so we bought those 50 points.

Anyways to OPs question - the videos and pictures I've seen I do not feel like the rooms feel small at all. I mean, studios in general aren't huge. Comparing them to Riviera - yes Riviera went with the luxe look, and these are not that, but I think it terms of space they are using it well. There's no way to tell for sure until you stay there. I'll let you know in May....

 

[DennieC]

I don't know about that. We stayed at the Element Anaheim this past summer and it was great. Included breakfast, great rooms w/ kitchenette, and about a 13 minute walk to the gate. All for a LOT less than I would have paid to stay onsite.

I don't want to use my points at VDH because I don't want to be stuck with the TAT. It's not so bad at Aulani (still a pain), but VDH is way more...

But you pay the TAT at the Element also. I looked at rates and tax for the Element and it shows $386 plus $66 tax. If I use my points at VDH I pay $63 in tax and avoid the nightly rate.

 

[Jwaire]

Disneyland hotel (and VDH) are not really about "Value" at least not cash value. You can stay in very nice hotels much cheaper nearby. And we've stayed on Harbor and had very nice trips. But could not resist the call of DVC. As we only go every 2-3 years. (Our trip next year will be almost 5 years since the last one but COVID partly to blame.) so a very small contract (50 points) cost us $450 a year in dues for the ability to enjoy DLR from "in the bubble" and totally worth it to us. When deciding on buying in we actually talked about FOMO...I asked my wife "How will you feel for the next 30 years when we are staying at the Tropicana looking at the VDH, will you be regretting it or by OK with it." she said "I would be very sad", so we bought those 50 points.

Anyways to OPs question - the videos and pictures I've seen I do not feel like the rooms feel small at all. I mean, studios in general aren't huge. Comparing them to Riviera - yes Riviera went with the luxe look, and these are not that, but I think it terms of space they are using it well. There's no way to tell for sure until you stay there. I'll let you know in May....

I just want to say WELCOME BACK and love the DVC Newscast with Shannon.