VDH Opening

[NVDISFamily]

I would think that with only two properties near DLR, it might command a premium over other DVC. But nobody knows for sure so I say don't buy it just for that. If she doesn't like it and you have the points you need with VGC, why get VDH?

Perhaps he needs VDH in another use year to cover any gaps in where his VGC points aren't "safe" (yes I'm just rationalizing here...). If the point chart is okay I might be tempted to get enough to get 5 nights in a 2BR for spring trips. I need that chart!

Edit - your pictures of the views at VGC have me hyped! We have six nights in a few weeks and 3 of them should be in the GV that faces the park. I've asked the other 3 nights to be in a high room on the park side. Hope we get similar views.

 

[elenex]

Perhaps he needs VDH in another use year to cover any gaps in where his VGC points aren't "safe" (yes I'm just rationalizing here...). If the point chart is okay I might be tempted to get enough to get 5 nights in a 2BR for spring trips. I need that chart!

Edit - your pictures of the views at VGC have me hyped! We have six nights in a few weeks and 3 of them should be in the GV that faces the park. I've asked the other 3 nights to be in a high room on the park side. Hope we get similar views.

I'm jealous. We're back in May, then off to WDW in September.

 

[ClaraOswald]

This is the future of all DVC properties at some point. Each have a cycle.

Very true. I should have clarified...still considering buying VGC resale at some point. But we were considering just renting points to stay next summer but not sure if we should since I don't think they'll be refurbed by then and I worry about my son not wanting to sleep on the horrible pull out couch. Since we have to attempt to rent so far in advance, I'll need to decide within the next few months.

But sorry...this is all a tangent since this is the VDH thread. Ha! I know the cash price of the new villas will be more than I'm willing to spend. And I'm guessing it won't be possible to rent points for them for summer 2024 so that won't be an option either.

 

[paslaugh]

Very true. I should have clarified...still considering buying VGC resale at some point. But we were considering just renting points to stay next summer but not sure if we should since I don't think they'll be refurbed by then and I worry about my son not wanting to sleep on the horrible pull out couch. Since we have to attempt to rent so far in advance, I'll need to decide within the next few months.

But sorry...this is all a tangent since this is the VDH thread. Ha! I know the cash price of the new villas will be more than I'm willing to spend. And I'm guessing it won't be possible to rent points for them for summer 2024 so that won't be an option either.

Every time I think about buying VGC and now VDH I think about the fact that VGC points rent for the exact same price as my Poly and VGF points on an 11mo rental, so why pay the $100 per point premium for the contract?

 

[swaggystackslv]

Maybe someone interested in buying can reach out to a guide to see if there is any info??? LOL

im on the wait list... nothing yet.

 

[scoobdoo]

YOU GUYS ARE NOT HELPING! In all seriousness. You both are 200% right. VGC is unique, exclusive, and superior in every category, minus maybe the points chart, which still remains to be seen. Still. I can’t help but to feel the FOMO looking at these pictures. I really hope the VGC hard refurb comes soon to allay my doubts. I really need another trip to Disneyland. November can’t come soon enough!

VGC is superior in every category?! Its rooms are inferior to any decent Days Inn.

 

[NVDISFamily]

VGC is superior in every category?! Its rooms are inferior to any decent Days Inn.

Where is the Days Inn with the 3 bedroom, 4 bathroom room, with multiple balconies that overlook the theme park and have a few min walk to either of them? I need to know! Heck I’d even settle for a 2 bedroom with 3 baths as honestly I’ll stay in that room more often…

Yes the studios (and heck all the rooms at VGC) need some love. But I think often people are so focused on the studios vs hotel room comparison that they forget there is a lot of us 2BR/1BR suite/villa lovers out there

 

[Royal Consort]

Yes the studios (and heck all the rooms at VGC) need some love.

...those fold out couches may have experienced a bit too much love.

 

[AstroBlasters]

Those VGC pullout beds are in REALLY bad shape. Many of them aren’t even flat.

Can you request an additional mattress pad?

 

[AstroBlasters]

I’m at the airport and headed down to DLand today. I’m going to stop by the VGC office to see if they have the magic band sliders and will see if I can get some info.

UPDATE: So, getting to the parks was crazy. There was a huge ice storm in Portland that delayed my flight by 2 hours and by the time I got to the rental car at LAX I had just enough time to make my Jazz Kitchen reservation.

By the time dinner was over the DVC office was closed, but I did purchase some nice DVC swag from the store in Grand Cal.

The crowds were light in the parks because of the cold and rain and so I was able to have a very short wait until leaving just after midnight.

Bottom Line: No VDH news

 

[NVDISFamily]

some nice DVC swag from the store in Grand Cal.

Oh? What do they have?

 

[zavandor]

Perhaps he needs VDH in another use year to cover any gaps in where his VGC points aren't "safe" (yes I'm just rationalizing here...). If the point chart is okay I might be tempted to get enough to get 5 nights in a 2BR for spring trips. I need that chart!

Edit - your pictures of the views at VGC have me hyped! We have six nights in a few weeks and 3 of them should be in the GV that faces the park. I've asked the other 3 nights to be in a high room on the park side. Hope we get similar views.

Sorry to be a buzz kill, just to lower expectations. There aren't many rooms with a view as fantastic as that. I got a Paradise Pier view twice but it was a lower floor, so it was mostly tree. But it was nice to hear the background music and get glimpses of the park while having a coffee on the balcony.
Whatever the view the resort is beautiful, so you'll enjoy it nevertheless. A good view is the icing on the cake, but the cake is pretty tasty too

 

[HIRyeDVC]

Can you request an additional mattress pad?

I’ve never asked

 

[Cfabar1]

Wow… it sounds like VGC is absolutely terrible… Has anyone spoken to member services? What is their response?

 

[AstroBlasters]

Oh? What do they have?

Specific to DVC… red spirit jersey, T-shirts(adult and kids), key chains, magnets, license plate frame, aloha shirt, Doonie and Burke, huge coffee mug….

I purchased an aloha shirt and a license plate frame.

 

[elenex]

Wow… it sounds like VGC is absolutely terrible… Has anyone spoken to member services? What is their response?

I've complained at the hotel several times recently, particularly about the dustiness of the rooms. I've gotten nothing more than patronization and one extra "deep cleaning" which was nothing more than a bed make and trash dump. (I also had to request the usual day 4 freshen up 4 times over 3 days before it finally happened on day 6). From speaking with cast members, I think a big part of the problem is that the management doesn't give a rat's behind about DVC members, just the hotel side bottom line. When i asked at the DVC office about a refurb that was desperately needed, they said it's coming but don't know when. I did share my concerns about management with them and they didn't have anything to offer to it.

It's a shame, because if well-kept it's the crown jewel of all Disney resorts in the continental US imo. And it's worth dealing with the lack of upkeep a little longer while we wait for our refurb. But the current management has proven extremely frustrating to me, and that's on my mind when considering VDH versus more VGC. DH management is different, and in my experience, far superior.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I've complained at the hotel several times recently, particularly about the dustiness of the rooms. I've gotten nothing more than patronization and one extra "deep cleaning" which was nothing more than a bed make and trash dump. (I also had to request the usual day 4 freshen up 4 times over 3 days before it finally happened on day 6). From speaking with cast members, I think a big part of the problem is that the management doesn't give a rat's behind about DVC members, just the hotel side bottom line. When i asked at the DVC office about a refurb that was desperately needed, they said it's coming but don't know when. I did share my concerns about management with them and they didn't have anything to offer to it.

It's a shame, because if well-kept it's the crown jewel of all Disney resorts in the continental US imo. And it's worth dealing with the lack of upkeep a little longer while we wait for our refurb. But the current management has proven extremely frustrating to me, and that's on my mind when considering VDH versus more VGC. DH management is different, and in my experience, far superior.

I’ve also had not so great housekeeping experiences at VGC. One time when we first got into our room, there was dog hairs everywhere. Another stay, we didn’t receive ANY housekeeping for 8 days. I think you’re right that Disney doesn’t care that much about DVC members. To them, we’re staying for free. It’s a shame that the money we put down and the annual dues we pay are afterthoughts to them. All we could do is make our complaints known through formal channels. If enough people do that, I think there would be changes.

 

[DonMacGregor]

This is an unpopular opinion, at least on these boards, but not from a locals point of view. Yes, GCH is an absolutely beautiful hotel, and possibly the "crown jewel" of all Disney resorts here in the US. For many locals, it's a fantastic place to go to hang out, sit in the lobby, people watch, etc. We were all so amazed when it opened in 2001 with that lobby and attention to our beloved Craftsman Style architecture. As with many other locals, I absolutely LOVE it and have stayed on the hotel side many times (I even stay there every May for a conference I attend, even though I live 20 minutes away).

But, the Disneyland Hotel is...the Disneyland Hotel.

DLH is the iconic hotel we all grew up with. If you were from Anaheim, then it's really likely that if someone was talking about staying "at the hotel", you knew exactly which hotel you could find them at. It was Granville's and the Travel Port with Sgt. Preston's Yukon Saloon and the Monorail Cafe, the Garden Rooms (Tiki before even the Poly), and the Dancing Waters. If you were a teenager, it was heading over to play video games in the arcade in the old Marina. It was Walt and Lilian breaking ground with Jack and Bonita Wrather. Compared to that, a back door into DCA seems a bit less significant.

While GCH recreates a period in California history, the Disneyland Hotel IS history, and it's a history that is owned and shared by those of us who grew up here, who later worked at the parks and hotels, and now stay there as guests or DVC owners. I think that sense of history and place can be felt in the CM's that work there too.

 

[HIRyeDVC]

I’ll add that not all experiences were bad. If anything, I’ve had more positive stays than negatives, like getting our room at noon on check in. Or getting an amazing view. Or CMs going out of their way to help. I think one thing that DVC members need to do better is to tame our expectations. We are staying in deluxe accommodations but we are not like the regular hotel guests. We’ve “prepaid” our stays at a discounted rate. I always remember what Pete said awhile back. That DVC is not truly deluxe. It’s “Deluxe Adjacent.”

 

[nalabear]

Every time I think about buying VGC and now VDH I think about the fact that VGC points rent for the exact same price as my Poly and VGF points on an 11mo rental, so why pay the $100 per point premium for the contract?

Cause it's not a business proposition. It's a timeshare that just happens to be profitable if you rent -- very rare space in the timeshare market.