Originally Posted By ploeb909 After sort of running through all the post,Im curious how many of you still stay at one of the 3 hotels DLR Ca property, During Summer-Holidays etc..If your not...Why Not? If you are..Why do you stay if other area hotels are cheaper??
Originally Posted By darcy-becker I've never stayed in one of the DLR hotels. Too expensive. Maybe someday on my honeymoon.
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance I've stayed at PP and DLH. Probably won't be doing that again anytime soon. Waaàaaaaaaay too expensive for me. Even if I could scrape the money together, I just can't justify that kind of money spent on a hotel room.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip I always stay at the Disney hotels. Traveling from Missouri (previously Minnesota), the cost of staying on-site is a relatively small portion of my total expense. I'm not going to accept second best just to save a little. I also use my DVC points to pay for the hotels occasionally and then I'm not out any cash at all. If I lived closer to DL, did not have to pay for airfare to get there, and visited more frequently I would probably change where I stay.
Originally Posted By LuvsDsnyTrips I have only stayed on sure 2 times ever (29 trips) In April....we are staying at Howard Johnson but in October we are staying at the DL trip For me....it is a treat staying on site and for me it is expensive.... I (and don't ask me why)....do not like motels (where the doors open to the outside)....and I have come to detest having to ride the transportation I use to stay at Embassy Suites South all the time...but have had problems with their shuttle system that they started using awhile back
Originally Posted By DouglasDubh We don't go during busy times- usually January or October. We stayed a few times offsite back in the late 90's but usually at the DLH. Then we got a great deal on the GCH and rarely went anywhere else. There were some good deals for AP holders in the earlier 2000's. Now we have DVC so only stay in a villa.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 We always stay onsite. We usually do GCH, but have done DLH and PP too. We just really like being right there in DTD and close to the gates.
Originally Posted By ploeb909 Well that's GREAT!! When my kids were younger we Always stayed on-site. They loved it,and it was wonderful to watch fireworks from our room. At the time the hotels ran roughly $189-$279 a night,and since we were AP holders we knew alot of the in's an outs of Disney My husband and I also enjoyed going to the pool with our kids and still being able to enjoy an adult beverage. I agree the convenience outweighed the $$ cost-and the memory's and experience were beautiful!! I say this as my kids and I watch Monsters University together on a Sunday night
Originally Posted By Megara Never stayed at Disney property in Anaheim. Too expensive. Over $400 a night, no thanks. Would rather spend money on souvenirs. We stay 5-7 nights at Carrousel inn.
Originally Posted By ploeb909 Megara-I agree $400 a night is crazy-but that wasn't always the cost,and I do believe that time and $$ is all "relative".--But,the pricing was Far cheaper then that about 3-5 tears ago. And for myself,it's hard to think about spending $400 for a Disney Hotel when I can stay Ocean front somewhere else for even less. I do miss sitting at the window watching the lights and coming down stairs in the morning to watch my kids get excited about going to breakfast at Disneyland Sweet an innocent times. But yes...you are right-that's a whole lotta bucks! Maybe they will run a GREAT promo
Originally Posted By RoadTrip You have ONE affordable option... rent DVC points. This is a well known option at WDW, probably much less so at DL because DVC is so new there. People who own DVC points and don't plan to use them that year can rent them to others. Points with the Villas at Grand California as the home resort would probably be hard to obtain, but you don't need them. Any DVC points can be used at any Disney DVC or non-DVC resort. If you rented points with a home resort other the V@GC you would probably be unable to book there... those units go fast and you need the expanded booking window that comes from that being your home resort. But you can rent rooms at ANY of the non-DVC Disneyland Hotels (including the Grand Californian) without a problem. DVC points generally rent for $10-$15 per point. Points with home resorts of Vero Beach, Old Key West and Saratoga Springs tend to be the cheapest. As I said, other than the ability to book a Villa at the Grand Californian, home resort makes NO difference. This is what it would cost to rent a standard room at the various Disneyland Hotels during the early summer (thru June 21), Sun-Thurs assuming a price of $12/point). Paradise Pier Hotel: 18 points per night, $216 Disneyland Hotel: 19 points per night, $228 Grand Californian Hotel: 24 points per night, $288 Use caution when renting DVC points and be sure to check references. Owners will want payment in advance, and you are relying on them to make the reservation and to put it in your name. The huge majority of transactions go off without a hitch, but as with anything else there are crooks out there. Try to use a payment method where you have some recourse available. My daughter has done this quite often at WDW, and only run into trouble once. Even there, she eventually got her money back. DVC won't be much help if you run into trouble. They see it as a private transaction between individuals not involving them, which it really is. When using DVC points at a non-DVC Disney hotel, you get all the usual hotel services and privileges - daily housekeeping service etc, which you don't get at the DVC units. They also seem to sometimes treat DVC customers as "VIP guests" and will occasionally give you "best room available" at the time you check in, even if you just reserved a standard room. I once received a no-cost upgrade to the Concierge floor at the Yacht Club in WDW and one to a DCA view from an upper floor at the Paradise Pier Hotel in DL. No guarantees, but you never know. It happened to me two out of the four times I have used my DVC points at a standard Disney resort, so the odds seem fairly good. It is really the only affordable on-site option you have. Hope it helps.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip P.S. I never asked about the availability of an upgrade... to do so would probably eliminate any chance of getting one. Just be friendly, upbeat and glow with the "Disney Magic". LOL
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance Would their be taxes on top of the prices you listed, Roadtrip? Now just to find someone who is realiable to buy points from, Roadtrip!? Hand them over!
Originally Posted By CuriousConstance How do you check what the cost would be for PP or DLH? It never gives me those as options on the point sites. I'm looking at 10-16-14 thru 10-20-14, 5 nights departing on 10-21-14.
Originally Posted By RoadTrip Yes, you can stay at both the PPH and the DLH using points. I don't remember ever being charged tax, but parking and valet charges are extra. DVC points charts for all Disney Hotels are available on the members portion of the DVC website... I'm not sure where else. Here are the points you would need for the period you are thinking about, standard view accommodations. PPH: Sun-Thu 18 points per night Fri-Sat 29 points per night DLH: Sun-Thu 19 points per night Fri-Sat 30 points per night GCH: Sun-Thu 24 points per night Fri-Sat 39 points per night Deb Will's site has a good page about DVC point rental: <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://allears.net/acc/RentDVCPoints.htm">http://allears.net/acc/RentDVCPoints.htm</a> She is partnered with 'David's Vacation Club Rentals'. That would be a risk-free way to rent points, but he charges on the high side - $14 per point. For the peace of mind it would probably be worth it. Obviously you can save considerable money by avoiding Fri-Sat nights, but if your schedule is set what can you do?
Originally Posted By gardenrooms RoadTrip, thanks for all the great info. As newish DVC members still learning the ropes, and knowing how hard it is to book at GCH at 7 months out (which we tried to do with a few leftover points we had) this is a great alternative we never thought about.
Originally Posted By gardenrooms Hi, RoadTrip - just curious - our booklet for 2013/2014 says PPH is 27/34 points, DH is 34/43, and GCH is 41/51 Sun-Th/Fri & Sat during that period. Am I missing something? (And this is the 2nd lowest season.)
Originally Posted By seafairy1622 I have stayed at PP. I did like it but it is expensive. We stay ay Embassy suites south. It is nice and quiet. I love the free breakfast and the manager special everyday. Free snacks and drinks. We bought pizza at $2 a slice. Way cheaper than eating at the park.
