VDH Questions for Purchasing

[Girlstar30]

I almost talked myself into it!!
My main issue is I couldn’t buy 150 direct, but I wouldn’t mind having sole direct points, but buying 50 seems like a waste. Otherwise I’d probably already own some VDH.

Its $188 a point after magical beginnings right now. I think thats great for a California resort. I have talked myself into it and am emailing my guide. My wife agrees that it makes complete sense and we are both super excited If Disneyland forward goes thru I can see this being a huge win at the price now. Even if not, we love the hotel and more chances to show off with more family

 

[VGCgroupie]

Room views https://www.disboards.com/threads/v...-hotel-dvc-view-from-the-room-thread.3931280/

Page 1 has all the floor plans and room count location info. Both courtesy of @UrsulaWantsYourSoul
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...ry-tower-owners-and-fans-info-thread.3923658/

 

[tx911]

Its $188 a point after magical beginnings right now. I think thats great for a California resort. I have talked myself into it and am emailing my guide. My wife agrees that it makes complete sense and we are both super excited If Disneyland forward goes thru I can see this being a huge win at the price now. Even if not, we love the hotel and more chances to show off with more family

Are you sticking with 150 at VDH?

 

[Girlstar30]

Just got back from a two day stay at VDH, and I must say I have no regrets as a local, buying there. I am averaging 8 trips a year with my points at VDH and 3 trips at VGC. Typically, I stay in Preferred Deluxe Studios at VDH and have had very little issues booking. I even booked this two night stay as I saw availability pop up last week. I don't think that is normal though, I think the flu must be disrupting some people's travel plans. Anyway, we have been able to get our Disney Therapy in the last few very stressful years and if in the future we do not need to come as frequently, we will try for the larger rooms which eat up the points fairly quickly. I will say even with all the cutting back Disney has been doing our stays have remained Magical.

Lucky for us, we could care less about the early entry, we actually prefer a lightning lane to use whenever we feel like it. And with the new Explore key that just came out yesterday, we are able to now go to the parks in the summer for the same price as sorcerer pass.

Summer is when we're most interested to come here, which is great because we want to stay away from FL in the summer. The tot isnt hard to swallow when its two days in a studio. $94 on this last trip.

And as others have said we dont pay when we don't stay and the dues are reasonable this way. I will save the extra tot money based on the annual trips monthly on the side so I can just see it as part of my dues and not have to come up with it at the end.

Perhaps when more people purchase the dues will go down as well. I wish we could see data on how sales are going, but I think theyre slow and i wonder if the tot has a major part in that. Either way, 1-2 day last minute booking in studios is our thing and this fits the bill really nicely! Thank you all!

 

[Dodgerburt8]

I am still in my recission period for Polynesian. I never thought I would be interested in VDH, but here I am. I didnt realize that the price for a 150 point contract was nearly $3000 less than Poly and I can honestly see us going there more because of the convenient location for holidays and celebrations. I have my share of FL points and perhaps since 150 points doesnt go very far, this contract may better serve us for Disneyland stays!

My trend has been to try to snag every holiday i can at vgc and it would be nice to have some guarantees!

So I have questions for those who've researched much more than I have for purchasing VDH, which has been close to zero:

When everything is all declared VDH will only have 344 units and PVB will have 644 units?

I noticed that VDH resales tend to go for even higher than Poly and im wondering if this is due to low inventory or if this will be the norm? Guesses are fine, I know we cant tell the future. I know its restricted, but it being in California and relatively small makes me wonder if it could retain its value?

Is VDH deeded or is it part of the trust?

Dues are pretty high. Is this strictly due to it being in California? It is a tower so is it really that much to maintain?

I think I know the answer to this, but can Tot somehow go away?

Do people really believe that the theme parks will really be expanded to the hotel?

Does anyone know how many 1 bedrooms will be at this hotel vs pit when its all declared and how many garden rooms?

Does the one bedroom have two bathrooms? Are there any views in the one bedroom or is it also terrible?

I think thats all for now

I’ve been considering VDH as well. We love the California parks and the history of the Disneyland hotel is so cool. I haven’t pulled the trigger for a few primary reasons all of which you touch on. 1- Dues are high and so far are increasing at a high rate. This despite TOT not being included in the dues. The economics at VDH still compare favorably to cash but if you do the math conversion of your points and purchase price to the average nightly rate, the price you pay in California is crazy high, and significantly higher than FL. 2-The relative importance of the bubble. There are several high quality close hotel options for less than half the price, and there are very few on property benefits especially now with EE gone (boo). 3-Uncertainty around resale pricing. Lately I’ve seen several VDH resale contracts listed for $150 per point. I don’t think the restriction penalty will push VDH prices as low as RIV, but who knows. Still a long way from selling out.

 

[Girlstar30]

Love this hotel! The vibes walking around the resort are so lovely. The 1 bedroom is so nice I just wish i could live in one. For people who need a balcony it’s good to point out that deluxe studios don’t have balconies at VDH (except the garden units). A huge portion of preferred views look out onto the Anaheim neighborhood and are less than preferred in most people’s opinion. I love that both VDH and VGC have the bonus bathrooms like Kidani, BLT and the new Poly tower. Too bad they didn’t do that at Riviera. I still prefer VGC because of the proximity and the epic lobby but VDH is awesome.

Yes, we also love the large space next to check in with the chairs and "fireplace" just for relaxing. Trader sams fits our Polynesian tiki vibe There's also some swag given in the front and we like that convenience.

We weren't too impressed with the breakfast at Traders, but that bar/restaurant really comes alive at night and we have yet to try the food there. Same with Tangoroa, but I think its the same.

I would love it if they still had Steakhouse 55, but oh well. A cast member told me the space is being used as a storage closet now! Im sure it will be utilized in some way in the future. I would love it if they brought the classic tea back. My best friend and I literally went to every single one, it was so well done. Great convos and memories.

The family also prefers Goofys Kitchen to Storytellers. The kids love the PB and J pizza. The Halloween brunch was the most interactive, fun character breakfast we've ever been to and we've been to a lot.

My wife loves the outdoor fireplace by Sam's. Im so glad we stayed here before being locked into the purchase. I like being cheesy, so I guess the DVC song they brainwashed us with was right, this is right where we belong

Another huge plus is that its nearly impossible to make last minute magic key resys. When staying at the hotel I noticed the calendar is wide open for booking on the days were not blocked out!

 

[Girlstar30]

Love this hotel! The vibes walking around the resort are so lovely. The 1 bedroom is so nice I just wish i could live in one. For people who need a balcony it’s good to point out that deluxe studios don’t have balconies at VDH (except the garden units). A huge portion of preferred views look out onto the Anaheim neighborhood and are less than preferred in most people’s opinion. I love that both VDH and VGC have the bonus bathrooms like Kidani, BLT and the new Poly tower. Too bad they didn’t do that at Riviera. I still prefer VGC because of the proximity and the epic lobby but VDH is awesome.

The lack of balconies is a bummer, but not enough to dissuade me. I wonder why they didnt put more. Do the one and two bedrooms have a balcony? We like pool views so we will be happy with one. Anaheim view is def not preferred

 

[Girlstar30]

That’s usually my job

About that, I was thinking our anniversary or my birthday would be great but how hard is it to book in january? Probably less. Our anniversary is in June so that is probably harder. Valentines day would be nice too. Do FW cost more depending on what days you get it? Is it that much more to do this?

 

[VGCgroupie]

The lack of balconies is a bummer, but not enough to dissuade me. I wonder why they didnt put more. Do the one and two bedrooms have a balcony? We like pool views so we will be happy with one. Anaheim view is def not preferred

My 2 bed with balcony views.

 

[VGCgroupie]

About that, I was thinking our anniversary or my birthday would be great but how hard is it to book in january? Probably less. Our anniversary is in June so that is probably harder. Valentines day would be nice too. Do FW cost more depending on what days you get it? Is it that much more to do this?

Here is the FW chart. I havent seen a new one released yet. https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...d6247/1697569459204/FW-VillasAtDisneyland.pdf

 

[juliebee]

Here is the FW chart. I havent seen a new one released yet. https://static1.squarespace.com/sta...d6247/1697569459204/FW-VillasAtDisneyland.pdf

that is the current one according to my guide last week

 

[Girlstar30]

As I understand it, you live in California (or at least nearby), and frequently visit DL...

Having the flexibility to use your points in California at 11 months might matter to you - I know if I went to DL frequently, having points I could use there easily and flexibly would matter to me.

TOT is only paid when you stay at VDH... which you would have to pay even when using your Polynesian Points there (or any others), so I consider that a wash... Conversely when you use VDH points to stay at Polynesian, you don't pay the TOT...

It sounds like, maybe VDH is $3k cheaper - and the length of the contract is meaningfully longer - I feel like 10 years?

My personal view is that VDH is likely to hold resale value not at VGC levels, but at an elevated level, at least for a while... It is an iconic location, in a park with only two DVC properties (for now)... Very different than WDW which probably has too many DVC resorts at this point to be honest...

All told, if it were me, I'd save the $3k in up front costs - especially since it sounds like you are financing - and buy VDH.

Yes Florida didnt pan out and i honestly think I would regret moving so far away from everyone and dealing with crazy weather all the time. My wife shut it down basically because the avocados there are "weird" and she needs her mexican food among other reasons, that was her main gripe

The contract will last until im 88, so i think its safe to assume I may be a member for life

I agree that it will retain its value. Ive seen resales listed at the same price its selling for with magical beginnings minus ten dollars Restrictions are going to be a thing from now on everywhere. I would bet on disneyland hotel retaining its future value more than any other restricted resort.

$3k is significant for us. With magical beginnings it feels as though we are saving $6k. Its actually $2100 i believe but then closing costs are cheaper too. Which would justify for me a 3 way 50 50 50 split which I think is a smart move and what I truly wanted to do with Poly, but couldnt justify the cost. It may even justify more points

 

[Girlstar30]

Am I the only one thinking she could buy 160 VDH for the same price as 150 Poly?
750 is such a nice round number

its going to really really bother me to have 990 points. It will bother me till the end of my dvc life. And theyre not going to let me add a small 10 point add on later. I could live with a 20 point one because then it would be 1010 and my brain likes a repeating number that is a lucky number, but I think the minimum is 25 point add on

 

[Girlstar30]

Yes. I would go slightly higher on the restricted resort because the other points won’t be valid there. Buy enough you can use them. And consider buying one time use points every year to maximize unrestricted point access

Im def getting MMB. I have tapped out all the otup every single time. I need to run the numbers on 200 points. Maybe if I dont split the contract i can justify it more

 

[VGCgroupie]

its going to really really bother me to have 990 points. It will bother me till the end of my dvc life. And theyre not going to let me add a small 10 point add on later. I could live with a 20 point one because then it would be 1010 and my brain likes a repeating number that is a lucky number, but I think the minimum is 25 point add on

Chances of you selling one of your resales is pretty high. Chances of you buying something different, pretty high imo. You can sit at 10 points away for a bit. 1000 is really only a disboards bragging right.

 

[Girlstar30]

add another 40 points and hit the next incentive, another $5 off per point.

Is it true I thought it was only a dollar more off for 200 points

 

[VGCgroupie]

Im def getting MMB. I have tapped out all the otup every single time. I need to run the numbers on 200 points. Maybe if I dont split the contract i can justify it more

The closing costs in CA are so low that no it wont make up for it buying more points. if you dont split. Splitting in CA makes much more sense than in FL.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Is it true I thought it was only a dollar more off for 200 points

You get $5 more per point savings but your average only changes by $1 because the $1500 and $500 are the same on 150 points or on 200.

 

[Girlstar30]

This is an important distinction between poly and VDH. The only points you will ever be able to use at VDH are the points that you own there (assuming all of your other points are resale).

View attachment 1038753

I know that does suck. But I honestly dont see myself staying more than 3 days max at a time. But still 200 points sounds beautiful i realize im not really going to get to stay in one bedrooms with 150 unless I want to spend them all quick which I dont. Maybe can justify one night a year. I also thought about axing magical beginnings but I need that check to pay this thing off asap

 

[Girlstar30]

I think this is an easy one. If you want to stay at VDH more than Poly....then buy VDH.
If you want to stay at Poly or use the points at WDW more...then buy Poly.

Easy is just not me. I needed to overanalyze it and get board approval