The Villas at Disney's Grand Californian Owners & Lovers Group - 2.0

[DISguyDennis]

Anybody been to GCH craftsman bar recently? Was wondering if they still have the souvenir steins for sale?

 

[pepe3penelope]

Hi! Does anyone have any recent pictures of what the cookware looks like? Planning on doing a few dinners in the villa. Any are appreciated!

 

[SeaDis]

What amenities do the DVC rooms include now? Do they have a keurig or a normal coffee pot is the biggest question.

Hi! Does anyone have any recent pictures of what the cookware looks like? Planning on doing a few dinners in the villa. Any are appreciated!

Coffee: Bring or include in your grocery order basket filters. Otherwise you are stuck with paper towels or the gross all in one filter/coffee. And, not enough of them.

Cookware: Standard Wal-mart grade stuff. I would not want them to invest in any better (would get trashed). Non-stick on the pots/pans in good shape. Looks like we are missing a few items (spatula? yikes). You can google for full inventories. I thought they were posted in the room but couldn't find. Inventory hasn't changed, to my knowledge.

 

[pepe3penelope]

Coffee: Bring or include in your grocery order basket filters. Otherwise you are stuck with paper towels or the gross all in one filter/coffee. And, not enough of them.

Cookware: Standard Wal-mart grade stuff. I would not want them to invest in any better (would get trashed). Non-stick on the pots/pans in good shape. Looks like we are missing a few items (spatula? yikes). You can google for full inventories. I thought they were posted in the room but couldn't find. Inventory hasn't changed, to my knowledge.

Oh my goodness! You are so awesome! Thank you soooo much! Helps a lot with meal planning so I don’t have to bring extra cookware!

 

[AZMermaid]

Had to waitlist for Memorial Day Saturday 5/28 today in a studio. Both Friday and Saturday were all booked up yesterday, so Sat wasn’t available at 11 months. I’m going to try to snag Sunday tomorrow so I just did a one night waitlist.

 

[upritbass]

Had to waitlist for Memorial Day Saturday 5/28 today in a studio. Both Friday and Saturday were all booked up yesterday, so Sat wasn’t available at 11 months. I’m going to try to snag Sunday tomorrow so I just did a one night waitlist.

That happened to us for our December trip, so we just went ahead with a 1BR instead. There are a lot of points out there that need to be used because of the 1 year shut-down. Expect this to continue for a while...

 

[reneaterry]

Just booked a 1 bedroom in January. I've never stayed here and want some room recommendations. Are there rooms with theme Park views? Is that something I need to request? Are there better options than requesting that view?

 

[AZMermaid]

Yes there are rooms with a view of paradise pier and redwood creek trail. Most people want paradise pier, so I’d be specific if that’s the area you want. The rooms are pretty close to Goofys Sky School so if you’ll be trying to sleep before park closing… it can be loud.

 

[Nonsuch]

Just booked a 1 bedroom in January. I've never stayed here and want some room recommendations. Are there rooms with theme Park views? Is that something I need to request? Are there better options than requesting that view?

Welcome Home
Remember to make a villa request in advance with Member Services
Search this thread for “6502” to get hints

 

[kucanhead]

We were there in mid May in a 1 bedroom, room 4508. Since we were from out of state, this was as close as we could get to going on the rides. I honestly didn't find the noise very loud at all in the room.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

We were there in mid May in a 1 bedroom, room 4508. Since we were from out of state, this was as close as we could get to going on the rides. I honestly didn't find the noise very loud at all in the room.

View attachment 585495View attachment 585496

They must not have had the Silly Symphony Swings going......

 

[kucanhead]

They must not have had the Silly Symphony Swings going......

My daughter loves that ride. Here's a video from the balcony, it doesn't seem too loud from there.

 

[DebbieB]

Any word from the 6/24 owners meeting that was postponed from last December?

 

[Nonsuch]

I noticed the link in my signature to the floorplan map is broken, so here is a repost:
The image below is just a preview, the attached PDF files are easier to read.
(edit: new signature links to files in this post)

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Hi Everyone! Hi Kat! We just booked 4 nights in February and are renting points. So excited. We stayed in the VWL in May now we get to stay here. First time in quite sometime we will be staying at VGC. Any advice on a room request for a standard room?

 

[ddlar]

Hi Everyone! Hi Kat! We just booked 4 nights in February and are renting points. So excited. We stayed in the VWL in May now we get to stay here. First time in quite sometime we will be staying at VGC. Any advice on a room request for a standard room?

I've stayed several times and have not disliked any room. There are no "standard/preferred" views at VGC -- everything is one category. (You can specify an Accessible room, though). As you can see from Nonsuch's great post, it is a small DVC location with a small number of rooms on each floor. You generally face the theme park, pool, or landscaping (lower floors). I usually end up on the 2nd - 3rd floor facing California Adventure park, and have been happy with those rooms. Higher is better if you want a view.

First floor can feel a bit "open" to guests walking by, but I've never personally had a problem. I've stayed in 1505 (2BR) and 1502 (1BR) and didn't think I'd like those, but they were fine - very convenient locations with good access to the pool area. The only thing I did not like about 1502 was that there was a gap at the balcony door, and someone was smoking on their balcony , and I could smell smoke every now and then. I reported the "gap" issue to the resort.

If I were pressed to submit a request, I would say the end (*513 - *522) 2nd - 5th floor, or maybe the 6th floor near the viewing deck (never stayed there myself). But, with such a small number of rooms, requests can be hard to get. (I booked two rooms for family one year - 2BR and Studio - and could not get them on the same floor. Same thing happened at Kidani, though, and that's a big DVC resort. I haven't cracked how to get neighboring DVC rooms.)

 

[CarolynFH]

I haven't cracked how to get neighboring DVC rooms.

Have you had "traveling with" notations placed on both/all reservations? That's the only method I've heard of so far. Of course, it's still just a request....

 

[Disney loving Iowan]

Thank you ddlar!!!

 

[ddlar]

Have you had "traveling with" notations placed on both/all reservations? That's the only method I've heard of so far. Of course, it's still just a request....

I requested that the rooms be next to/near each other, and they were both booked from my DVC account, but I am not sure if my request resulted in a special "traveling with" notation. I will try to verify that that next time. Thank you!

For the Kidani reservation, the rooms were in the same section, different floors. I think that meets Disney's definition of "near each other." To me, it means same area/building, same floor, ideally adjacent. But a request is just a request.

 

[sabrecmc]

These days, with the backlog in points and all the pent-up demand for vacations, as a non-owner of GC, is it best to rent points or just go with a cash room reservation? We own at AKL, but nothing is ever available for the GC for dates I look at by the time the window rolls around. Are waitlists granted with any frequency? It might end up being better to just stay at the Disneyland Hotel instead of trying for the GC, but if there is a trick I'm missing, I'd love any input you might have!