VDH Questions for Purchasing

[DisneyFanSea]

What is a guidehold, is that the welcome home stay?? She said she would call me to book today and bank my points i put a reminder jic!

Yup that’s a stay they can book. I screwed up on my guidehold, I had mine pick Thanksgiving as I thought at the time it was already all booked up. I had member services confirm it for me. However a few days after the fact I looked up availability and realized a guidehold for those dates at this time is not needed.

I should have used it for a stay that’s more recent and change it to a room type that I originally wanted but didn’t get due to availability at 7 months. I tried having my guide and member services change my guidehold to something else but they both were adamant it was a 1 time transaction. Lesson learned for the next direct contract lol

 

[VGCgroupie]

This will probably be me today, Im not done ive only read the first page, it seems overwhelming I feel like if I dont memorize the POS and know everything, Disboards is going to attack one day when I comment on something

I only read the financial numbers I was paying and how my deed was titled. The rest I learn about on the fly.

 

[Girlstar30]

You’re missing out on Avengers Campus and Cars land (for now).

I’m team both coasts together are best coasts.

The whole Disney forward concept is so interesting. The way she described it was getting rid of parking lots to build more theme park and yes it would extend to the hotel but no promise of a seperate entrance yet! Its what we're all hoping for!

She gave me some more insight into the Tot. I know its less than what people pay cash but only by a couple percent. And she said that its set by the city of Anaheim, Disney has no control over it. Which I found interesting because we're allowed to pay with gift cards.

But she says all that money goes to the city of anaheim and they see none of it, basically Anaheim is taking advantage because they know Disney needs that space lol. Id like to know who's getting rich cuz Anaheim ain't all that And yes she said they had the option to roll it into the dues but then they'd be really high and basically this hotel is pay to play. Im sure most people already knew this but I didn't know Anaheim keeps it all.

 

[Girlstar30]

They should change up the gift each time you buy, making each one a little bit nicer than the last.

The gold water bottle definitely loses its luster by the third or fourth time! And for some reason, I can’t get my teenage boys interested in them

They really should at least have different colors A 70th anniversary one would be cute!

 

[Girlstar30]

Split contracts like 50-50-50 for 150 points wouldn’t count. That’s how it is now for the gold water bottle.

Im going to request a different color

 

[Girlstar30]

Agree.

Should just be one “prize” for qualified contract #1.

Match perhaps DCL and give a “prize” at 1, 5, 10, 25. (That might look like they are actually wanting commercial renting but are acting like they don’t…deep down they just want to sell a ‘shipload’ of points).

Its such a waste when you go on the cruise and get the same thing like 4 times before u jump to the next tier lol they should jus probably save their money

 

[Wedgeout]

You only get the gift if you buy 150 points, not in anything less.

Interesting. Perhaps told that being a break apart one transaction type buy. Or changed some time after 2023.

Original Direct got the nice thicker backpack in 2021. But did get a bottle box pack with VDH at 67 points and again six months later with the 88.

(Each time got the paper certificate showing the resort…each of those still gave the original date became a member officially November 2020, resale).

 

[Girlstar30]

This thread might reach #1000 post today

Ive been watching it lol! There's a few heavy hitters we need to clear that is ofc of interest more people to a lot of people like fixed weeks and commerical renting, but considering that this post is only a week old we can just keep talking about whatever we want and break the internet lol!

 

[Girlstar30]

Totally agree! They change d23 gifts every year.

Yeahhhh and we pay way more than d23. Sometimes I think we're a little disrespected! We oay for their hotels year round lol

 

[Girlstar30]

Yup that’s a stay they can book. I screwed up on my guidehold, I had mine pick Thanksgiving as I thought at the time it was already all booked up. I had member services confirm it for me. However a few days after the fact I looked up availability and realized a guidehold for those dates at this time is not needed.

I should have used it for a stay that’s more recent and change it to a room type that I originally wanted but didn’t get due to availability at 7 months. I tried having my guide and member services change my guidehold to something else but they both were adamant it was a 1 time transaction. Lesson learned for the next direct contract lol

Thanks for posting this, I want to see the availability before I go booking the guidehold because there are a few dates that interest me and if they're open ill be mad lol! I think d23 will be the hardest to secure so im leaning towards that and she agreed.

Thry really should have made an exception for you, people make mistakes and it would literally take a couple mins, no harm to them. It bothers me when theyre sticklers about dumb sh*t but then not about the big elephant in the room thats ruining people's experience

 

[Girlstar30]

I only read the financial numbers I was paying and how my deed was titled. The rest I learn about on the fly.

I have a tendency to do the opposite lol

 

[Girlstar30]

Interesting. Perhaps told that being a break apart one transaction type buy. Or changed some time after 2023.

Original Direct got the nice thicker backpack in 2021. But did get a bottle box pack with VDH at 67 points and again six months later with the 88.

(Each time got the paper certificate showing the resort…each of those still gave the original date became a member officially November 2020, resale).

I want a paper certificate, they dont do that anymore?

 

[Wedgeout]

I want a paper certificate, they dont do that anymore?

Usually would come with the gift pack.

 

[DisneyFanSea]

The whole Disney forward concept is so interesting. The way she described it was getting rid of parking lots to build more theme park and yes it would extend to the hotel but no promise of a seperate entrance yet! Its what we're all hoping for!

She gave me some more insight into the Tot. I know its less than what people pay cash but only by a couple percent. And she said that its set by the city of Anaheim, Disney has no control over it. Which I found interesting because we're allowed to pay with gift cards.

But she says all that money goes to the city of anaheim and they see none of it, basically Anaheim is taking advantage because they know Disney needs that space lol. Id like to know who's getting rich cuz Anaheim ain't all that And yes she said they had the option to roll it into the dues but then they'd be really high and basically this hotel is pay to play. Im sure most people already knew this but I didn't know Anaheim keeps it all.

Yeah my understanding was Disney was in contract negotiations with Anaheim for a long time regarding TOT. Disney finally gave him to what Anaheim wanted to let the project move forward.

At least it is done as a TOT so that for VDH direct contracts, you only pay the tax if you stay at VDH.
For my resale VDH contract where I can only use those points at VDH, I just see it as part of annual dues that I delay pay until the stay. The TOT chart doesn’t directly state this but the TOT is priced per point, for 2026 that is $2.961 per point.

2026 Annual dues are $10.5354 per point so expect 2026 annual dues on your 150 points to be $1580.31 with the total amount slightly prorated since we’re a few days into 2026.

So if you plan to use your 150 points in 2026 only at VDH, expect total tot of $444.15 in addition to the $1580.31 in annual dues or a total of $2024.46.

For VDH stays or VDH resale contracts I just see the annual dues as being $13.50 (rounded up) per point in 2026 and budget for that.

Thankfully the past 3 years TOT increase in VDH has remained stable at 3% unlike VDH annual dues which has had higher increases.

 

[DisneyFanSea]

I want a paper certificate, they dont do that anymore?

Oddly enough on my first VDH contract which was also direct, the paper certificate listed the date of when I bought my very first contract (Polynesian direct).

 

[DisneyFanSea]

This thread might reach #1000 post today

Mission accepted.

 

[smileyanna]

Congrats! I think? Very hard to tell if you are signed/sealed. But congrats!

This was fun to follow.

 

[DisneyFanSea]

Its such a waste when you go on the cruise and get the same thing like 4 times before u jump to the next tier lol they should jus probably save their money

I agree they should change up the designs… but I look forward to a new tote (but not TOT) bag each time, saves on packing and is an extra bag to bring back all the merch.

 

[Girlstar30]

Yeah my understanding was Disney was in contract negotiations with Anaheim for a long time regarding TOT. Disney finally gave him to what Anaheim wanted to let the project move forward.

At least it is done as a TOT so that for VDH direct contracts, you only pay the tax if you stay at VDH.
For my resale VDH contract where I can only use those points at VDH, I just see it as part of annual dues that I delay pay until the stay. The TOT chart doesn’t directly state this but the TOT is priced per point, for 2026 that is $2.961 per point.

2026 Annual dues are $10.5354 per point so expect 2026 annual dues on your 150 points to be $1580.31 with the total amount slightly prorated since we’re a few days into 2026.

So if you plan to use your 150 points in 2026 only at VDH, expect total tot of $444.15 in addition to the $1580.31 in annual dues or a total of $2024.46.

For VDH stays or VDH resale contracts I just see the annual dues as being $13.50 (rounded up) per point in 2026 and budget for that.

Thankfully the past 3 years TOT increase in VDH has remained stable at 3% unlike VDH annual dues which has had higher increases.

Thats how im seeing it too, im just going to put that money aside as annual dues. Im not sure what we're doing yet, I wouldnt be surprised to see us doing an impromptu aulani trip if the stars align, but with my wife's dad's health condition we should probably stay local which is why vdh was perfect for us now!

I think it will probably be vdh this year only, possible vgc in the holidays if we're so lucky, and im happy with that! I told my guide long as we can pay monthly dues I am happy, but I'll probably have to pay a chunk of the last two months at the very end because im not paying yet until we close.

They seriously make this process so unnecessarily confusing I know I keep saying that but like for example since I split it in three and she split the totals of the 3 for me, I just wanted to pay 20% on each contract, the exact numbers she gave me one month at a time. Well no it has to be 20% of each contract each time, so that had to be calculated and then threw off my budget which I mean its not by much but still why does it have to be difficult?

Then I literally wanted to pay them EARLY like take a deposit yesterday and then the second contract 20% literally 3 days later when my wife gets paid again. Well, no, they dont like to SEE that, they like to see the money spread apart evenly and consistently!!

Like why dont you want our money faster what the heck??? I just want that money done. This is why it took so long, a bunch of nonsensical back and forth!

 

[Girlstar30]

Oddly enough on my first VDH contract which was also direct, the paper certificate listed the date of when I bought my very first contract (Polynesian direct).

Interesting my first was resale so they probably dont count that as anything