Dream big, live Grand. VGF homeowners' thread.

[smidgy]

so what do you have a view of?

 

[tidefan]

Finally got to stay here!! First time. So so so nice. Everything except our view. Don't ever stay in studio #1221. LOL. But everything was gorgeous and I loved every second of it. Can't wait to stay again.

Ah, you had the "Porte Cochere" view room!

 

[medievaldave]

Kitty thanks for the info......18% tip holy crap I don't like auto tipping cause then u have better chance of crap service

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

Kitty thanks for the info......18% tip holy crap I don't like auto tipping cause then u have better chance of crap service

Yes it does have the 18% tip However we have found we get much better service vs. the DDP Also it's not required to give the TIW at the beginning of the meal.. We normally give it around the time we finish our meal before the check comes.
They would have no way of knowing before that..

Also we normally tip around that much anyways

 

[kittyab]

I don't see how you save money with that card though. You have to pay $100 for the card and they automatically charge 18% gratuity regardless of the size of your party.

Quick serve restaurants are not on their list of places where they are accepted either.

I rather pay out of pocket and show my AP or DVC card for a discount. Which we would do this go around if my DD didn't want to do a lot of character meals!

 

[Msmithmd]

Yes it does have the 18% tip However we have found we get much better service vs. the DDP Also it's not required to give the TIW at the beginning of the meal.. We normally give it around the time we finish our meal before the check comes. They would have no way of knowing before that.. Also we normally tip around that much anyways

+1

When dining with TIW, you just say "no" at the beginning of service when they ask if you are on the dining plan. And you give them the TIW card at the end, when you either order or decline dessert.

That way you don't telegraph to the server "fixed guaranteed good tip," and you get good service through the meal. There is zero reason to present TIW at the beginning of your meal.

 

[SFD998]

Also when you use the TIW you are automatically charged 18% gratuity regardless of the size of your party.

We started using it a couple of years ago when my oldest became a "Disney adult". It ends up working out in our favor over the DDP. Since we generally tip 20% it is nice to have it included at 18%. We save a little there too. We factored the cost of the card into everything as well. Since we visit 3-4 times per year we get our monies worth out of it. We do tend to price things out well in advance just to see if the DDP would be the better option and it hasn't worked out that way yet. However, each family is different. It's nice to have the options.

 

[kittyab]

Yeah like I said this is the last year we can go as her being a child. I think on our next visit we will probably just not do a dining plan and use our DVC & AP discount. I prefer quick serve meals myself. Much quicker! BTW we are not doing the deluxe plan just the magic your way.

On our last visit, I found we spent so much time in the restaurants and what really wanted to do was go back to the resort and sit in the hot tub LOL!

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

I don't see how you save money with that card though. You have to pay $100 for the card and they automatically charge 18% gratuity regardless of the size of your party. Quick serve restaurants are not on their list of places where they are accepted either. I rather pay out of pocket and show my AP or DVC card for a discount. Which we would do this go around if my DD didn't want to do a lot of character meals!

TIW is not for everyone.. It works out for us.. Even with the up front cost of $100. 18% doesn't matter to us has that what we tip.
We like to do Cinderella's table and a few others that would cost us 2 TS credits.
Also on the dinning plan they only give you enough meals per room night This means if we fly for a 7day/6 night stay we only get 6 days worth of food. 6 TS 6 QS and 6 snacks

Our flights arrives at 6am- and leaves 6 nights later 7pm So at arrive at 8am on check in day use our TS, QS, and snack that day You continue using the credits this way pre day. Getting to the check out day of your trip. On check out day will than have no credits left for this day.. And than have to pay out of pocket for any food this day.

if you plan on doing any character meals that cost 2 TS You may end up paying out of pocket again as you will be short a TS meal. Run the number is the best advice I can give you.. I hope all this helps. Good luck

 

[kittyab]

Yeah it depends on your dining preference. I could get away with quick serve for the whole trip and eat in the room for a quick breakfast.

I do however plan to hit the food & wine festival

 

[DVC Mike]

Some photos for all you VGF owners.


First Ray of Sunshine on Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa by DVC Mike, on Flickr


The lobby at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa by DVC Mike, on Flickr


Villas at Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa at dawn. by DVC Mike, on Flickr

 

[mandy200587]

Mike those are absolutely stunning!

 

[kittyab]

That Xmas tree is amazing

 

[Scarlett81]

Bear with this newbie!
We are considering a future VGF buy. I've started the process of learning what I can about this big DVC world and boy is it confusing. Hubby's fave is BCV, mine is VGF. If we did BCV we'd probably do a resale buy. I guess with VGF we can't do that.

Someone said it may be advantageous cost wise to buy elsewhere at a cheaper home resort, but transfer?/book at VGF. Can you explain how that works? And if that is true?
I guess it makes sense VGF would be highest cost wise, no surprises there. But for a choice like this, we want the resort we love. No sense buying into something we aren't in love with since its costly no matter what.

Thank for any help you can offer!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Bear with this newbie! We are considering a future VGF buy. I've started the process of learning what I can about this big DVC world and boy is it confusing. Hubby's fave is BCV, mine is VGF. If we did BCV we'd probably do a resale buy. I guess with VGF we can't do that. Someone said it may be advantageous cost wise to buy elsewhere at a cheaper home resort, but transfer?/book at VGF. Can you explain how that works? And if that is true? I guess it makes sense VGF would be highest cost wise, no surprises there. But for a choice like this, we want the resort we love. No sense buying into something we aren't in love with since its costly no matter what. Thank for any help you can offer!

With your wish to stay at either BCV or VGF I probably would not lean towards purchasing SSR and counting on switching to either of those 2 at 7 months. It can be done depending on the time of year you prefer to go and depending on the room size and flexibility that you have in booking but you should at least be ok in staying at the resort you own in case you can't switch or you probably won't be very happy. But you also need to be able to book in the 7 to 11 month home resort priority window in order for it to even matter where you own.

What you might want to do is a smaller contract at BCV and at VGF and use banking or borrowing to rotate your stays. If going that way I'd say buy the BCV resale and then do the VGF as an add on direct. DVC will be able to match the Use year you get resale easily but it can be more difficult to go the other way and wait for a BCV to come up for sale resale of the size and UY to match what you already have.

 

[Scarlett81]

With your wish to stay at either BCV or VGF I probably would not lean towards purchasing SSR and counting on switching to either of those 2 at 7 months. It can be done depending on the time of year you prefer to go and depending on the room size and flexibility that you have in booking but you should at least be ok in staying at the resort you own in case you can't switch or you probably won't be very happy. But you also need to be able to book in the 7 to 11 month home resort priority window in order for it to even matter where you own.

What you might want to do is a smaller contract at BCV and at VGF and use banking or borrowing to rotate your stays. If going that way I'd say buy the BCV resale and then do the VGF as an add on direct. DVC will be able to match the Use year you get resale easily but it can be more difficult to go the other way and wait for a BCV to come up for sale resale of the size and UY to match what you already have.

Thank you very much for the info! I kind of feel like I understand about half of that, LOL. Get the general idea though.
What is the Use year?

 

[calleger]

Stayed at SSR on rented points. Decided to go thru a walk-thru while there. The entire time before the trip, we told ourselves not to buy Got at the end of the walk-thru and bought. GFV is our new home away from home. 120 pts with a June use year! Bought the day before the December use year contracts started.

 

[Thisdman]

Bear with this newbie!
We are considering a future VGF buy. I've started the process of learning what I can about this big DVC world and boy is it confusing. Hubby's fave is BCV, mine is VGF. If we did BCV we'd probably do a resale buy. I guess with VGF we can't do that.

Someone said it may be advantageous cost wise to buy elsewhere at a cheaper home resort, but transfer?/book at VGF. Can you explain how that works? And if that is true?
I guess it makes sense VGF would be highest cost wise, no surprises there. But for a choice like this, we want the resort we love. No sense buying into something we aren't in love with since its costly no matter what.

Thank for any help you can offer!

Hi Scarlett. Let me try and get you started. Where you own allows you to book that home resort at 11 months from your planned stay. Only owners can book that far away. Everyone else has to wait until 7 months out. The big question with VGF is going to be availability at 7 months after it has sold out (75% so far). Some will say rooms will be available, some will say no way. Somewhere in the middle will probably where it will shake out. I figure if you don't own there you will almost certainly be unable to book more then a night or two during most of the year. If you travel in January or Feburary you will get more. We bought there because of this and because we do not plan on ever staying anywhere else. Hope this helps a little. Lots of threads on this and a heck of a lot more informed people then I am.

 

[kittyab]

When we booked our points, she said our dates were filling up. I can't wait

 

[julluvsdisney]

I am going through the process of buying VGF now! YAY! We would like to go for our first stay the last week of Oct. Do you think that I would be able to book something in January when we close? We would do a 1 bedroom but are fine with a studio if necessary.

Also when in the process of purchasing direct can you book your first visit? Is it the day of closing? When you put the deposit down? Or after closing?

TIA!!!