Would you use your points for a Disneyland stay?

[DisneyDreamers2007]

If you were planning future trips to Disneyland, I think staying off-site would be good. You can get great deals on Priceline, like $50 for a one-bedroom suite at the Hilton, and there are several off-site locations in walking distance to Disneyland. We usually take an annual trip and have always stayed at Priceline hotels, we have been happy doing this, especially considering the huge savings.

But since you think this will be your only trip to Disneyland, I would say to use your points. The primary benefits are getting a good view of the parks, early entry, and (the greatest benefit IMO) is the awesome proximity. I would go for the Grand Californian or the Disneyland Hotel. We stayed at the Disneyland Hotel for the first time last month. We were in the Dream tower and had a great view of Dowtown Disney and into both parks! Downtown Disney was just a few steps away once we exited the elevator near our room, which put us at ESPN Zone (don't miss the awesome cookie & ice cream dessert they have there).

Hope you have a magical trip!

 

[nluvwithmickey]

Thank you all for the great advice and awesome tips!

Well, we did it! Gotta say, Dh and I both compromised. He wanted to bank the points for a bigger vacation in 2010, I wanted a Disney hotel in 2009....

Well after much debating, we opted on staying offsite for the first 3 nights and moving to DLHotel for the nex 5 nights. This way, we can bank leftover points and use them along with our 2010 points for a 10 night stay at BWV. That way, we are both happy!

Opted for DLhotel simply because of the theming. It has the magic I'm looking for plus Dsis stayed there in May and loved it.

Booking (my first time as a DVC member, loved being greeted with a Welcome Home )was so painless....Now all we have to do is wait

 

[CraftyMouse]

I'm pretty sure there is no $95 fee for staying at the Disneyland Resorts. I checked the 2008/2009 point chart.

Correct, and that was what I said. Disney_Villain mentioned a $75 fee. I was just saying that the fee (when applicable) is $95 and that it will probably be charged once the GCV open.

 

[CraftyMouse]

Thank you all for the great advice and awesome tips!

Well, we did it! Gotta say, Dh and I both compromised. He wanted to bank the points for a bigger vacation in 2010, I wanted a Disney hotel in 2009....

Well after much debating, we opted on staying offsite for the first 3 nights and moving to DLHotel for the nex 5 nights. This way, we can bank leftover points and use them along with our 2010 points for a 10 night stay at BWV. That way, we are both happy!

Opted for DLhotel simply because of the theming. It has the magic I'm looking for plus Dsis stayed there in May and loved it.

Booking (my first time as a DVC member, loved being greeted with a Welcome Home )was so painless....Now all we have to do is wait

Congrats! You will love the DLH. The little Disney touches are wonderful.

Enjoy!

 

[LIFERBABE]

Enjoy your stay!

We used points at GCH this August and really enjoyed it!

I checked Costco and AAA and both were over $2k for a 3 night package for our family of 4.

It cost 128 pts and we used old WDW park hoppers for our park day.

I thought that was a steal! We only paid for food and car.

I normally rent points, but it was not worth it in this case.

 

[dvcdisney]

Just off the top of my head...
Pirates (vastly different)
Splash
Pooh
The Jungle Cruise
The Treehouse (Tarzan-themed in DL)
Tom Sawyer Island (pirate-themed section)
Buzz
Peter Pan
Splash Mountain
The Tower of Terror
and
Big Thunder

...all are different at DL. In addition they have Indiana Jones (PHENOMENAL!), the Matterhorn, the Nemo Submarine Voyage, Mr. Toad, Pinocchio's Daring Journey, the Alice ride, California Screamin', the fantastic Animation building and the Monster's Inc. ride. Plus there are the Haunted Mansion (Oct.-Dec.) and Small World (Nov./Dec.) holiday versions.

I don't think you'll be disappointed at all. We have been to WDW countless times (and I even used to work there) and DL is like a breath of fresh air. We actually prefer DL (the park itself) to WDW's MK.

Have a great trip!

Sounds great! Thanks.

 

[Laneychris]

We are using our developer points for Disneyland GC

 

[MatterhornMiss]

Actually, depending on the time of year and the type of room, if you use the figure of $10 a point, which is what most points rent for, by using points you will save considerable over the rack rate of a room. Especially, since they don't currently charge the extra $95 to do this. For example: For our stay at the Grand Califorian for next June, it is costing us 132 points. The same room lists on the disneyland web site for that time period of around $1700. The savings might vary, and this may not be typical if you consider finding specials etc. But if you have a trip allready planned, and the DVC isn't finished yet, it is worth checking whether it would pay to use points rather than paying cash.

I agree. I was looking at early August at the Disneyland Hotel which would be 24 points for a standard room . But then, I looked and saw it is over $300/night for a room OOP. Then the decision isn't as difficult to make . Granted, you could always stay at a Days Inn down Harbor Blvd and save money and points, but it looks like you want to "stay in the magic."

Plus, I think I take a little bit more liberal use of points than some others. On my last trip, I stayed at the GF on points. I like the DVC for the comfort of knowing I can come back many times before the contract expires. I'm not (always) a stickler for getting the best value--though, if it means I can vacation more times a year in WDW by using less points, I'll probably do that.

 

[KathyK]

We stayed at the Grand Californian on points twice before they started building the villas there, and it was great. We loved being so close to teh parks.