"I can't believe we're staying here!" An Feb'16 DLR PTR (TR link Post #355)

[skier_pete]

The fact that you can keep track of all of that so well is truly impressive.

Spreadsheets are my friend! I worry that the trip is overly complicated. (Four different hotel locations across 8 nights.) I blame DD. She wanted the Legoland visit. I would've spent more time in LA. We will definitely be living out of suitcases.

Good luck with your waitlist, but don't give up hope. I have had a waitlist come through twice at VGC around 2 months before vacation time during a busier time of year, so you still have lots of time left. Like you, I had alternative hotel plans just in case, though. Hope it still comes through!

I remain hopeful on the waitlist, but my personality will not allow me to wait for it. I needed a satisfactory (if not preferrable) backup plan. I can probably let the waitlist ride until about 40 days before the trip. We are (tentatively) planning a trip for next December to WDW, and I may need to have my points banked in order to book that trip. Two months would definitely be fine. In fact, it would make for a wonderful birthday present!

It's funny - I don't want to get used to the idea of being able to book into the VGC, but I REALLY wanted to get it this time to make as nice a trip as possible for my mom. I thought it would be so great that if she wanted to go back to the room it would be right there at the VGC. If it was just the three of us, I don't think I'd even be sweating it. The hotels on Harbor Boulevard are fine with us!

 

[franandaj]

Sounds like a solid back up plan, and the two bedroom suite is a really good idea. I know with that many adults, no matter how close, we would go crazy. We can't even share a bathroom with someone and I even prefer if Fran and I don't have to share bathrooms!

 

[rteetz]

Seems like a good plan Pete. One thing I don't understand is they add so much DVC in Florida why don't they add some more to California as well. I don't think California needs a lot but enough to support the demand.

 

[skier_pete]

Seems like a good plan Pete. One thing I don't understand is they add so much DVC in Florida why don't they add some more to California as well. I don't think California needs a lot but enough to support the demand.

That's an EXCELLENT question @rteetz that I have asked as well. Here's my theory that I've developed from what others have said:

They first opened the DVC there in 2009, it was certainly a hit and has one of the highest resale values of any DVC location. However, the folks that oversee DVC decided to expand even further west and opened Aulani in Hawaii. The plan was to sell it to West Coasters and also the Asian market, which both allowed a bit of Disney in Hawaii, but gave options for using points on other Disney Vacations. The problem is that at the same time as this opened, a major recession hit Japan, and the Japanese pulled back interest in Hawaii. I also think the demand from US markets havent' been as high either. So sitting here today about 5 years after Aulani started selling and four years after it opened, it is only about half sold. Currents sales rates project it taking another 5-7 years to sell out.

So, I THINK that DVC leaders have decided that if they were to build additional DVC space in Anaheim, it would take away sales from Aulani, which they definitely do not want to do. In addition, Anaheim is lacking in the space for additional hotels/timeshares, limiting what they could put in. A few years back they completely redid the Disneyland Hotel, and there were questions whether they would turn one of the tower to DVC - that would have been the perfect opportunity. But in Anaheim, I think they have little problem keeping the resort rooms full of paying customers, so there was no pressing need to do that. Combine that with Disneyland's "Locals majority" they may feel that it is not a great market for DVC anyways. There is also the fact that you can pay <$150 a night for a room not 400 feet from the front entrance to the park, they may feel that hurts the market also.

This is all conjecture of course, but there has to be SOME reason. WDW has had a constant infux of new DVC resort locations over the last 15 years, while Cailfornia has only had one, and it was a small one.

(The odd thing about the VGC is that the owners don't usually fill it up very fast. Pretty much any time of year except holidays /events it seems you can book at 7+ months, but as soon as it hits 7 months, boom they're gone. So, the fact may be there is more demand for VGC from non-owners, which also wouldn't motivate Disney to build more.)

 

[YodasMom]

Seems like a good plan Pete. One thing I don't understand is they add so much DVC in Florida why don't they add some more to California as well. I don't think California needs a lot but enough to support the demand.

I posed that question to member services a couple years ago, and lack of space in the Anaheim are was sited as one of the reasons for fewer DVC rooms and well as the reason for high point value for VGC. I'm sure the low sales at Aulani is also a factor as well. Who knows.......At some point, if DLR does acquire more space in the DLR area, I would think we would see for DVC rooms somewhere.

 

[tabrizia]

Sounds like a good plan for Disneyland. I'm following your plans there, since we changed our second Disney World trip next year to a Disneyland and Legoland California trip .

 

[PrincessInOz]

If only that wait list would come through! Fingers crossed!

 

[skier_pete]

I posed that question to member services a couple years ago, and lack of space in the Anaheim are was sited as one of the reasons for fewer DVC rooms and well as the reason for high point value for VGC. I'm sure the low sales at Aulani is also a factor as well. Who knows.......At some point, if DLR does acquire more space in the DLR area, I would think we would see for DVC rooms somewhere.

Disney has been enquiring more space. In fact, they OWN the hotel we booked at - The Carousel. Rumors are they will eventually put in a flyover ramp from the parking area behind it, which is space they also own.

So, I guess technically we will be staying "On Property"!

 

[rteetz]

That's an EXCELLENT question @rteetz that I have asked as well. Here's my theory that I've developed from what others have said:

They first opened the DVC there in 2009, it was certainly a hit and has one of the highest resale values of any DVC location. However, the folks that oversee DVC decided to expand even further west and opened Aulani in Hawaii. The plan was to sell it to West Coasters and also the Asian market, which both allowed a bit of Disney in Hawaii, but gave options for using points on other Disney Vacations. The problem is that at the same time as this opened, a major recession hit Japan, and the Japanese pulled back interest in Hawaii. I also think the demand from US markets havent' been as high either. So sitting here today about 5 years after Aulani started selling and four years after it opened, it is only about half sold. Currents sales rates project it taking another 5-7 years to sell out.

So, I THINK that DVC leaders have decided that if they were to build additional DVC space in Anaheim, it would take away sales from Aulani, which they definitely do not want to do. In addition, Anaheim is lacking in the space for additional hotels/timeshares, limiting what they could put in. A few years back they completely redid the Disneyland Hotel, and there were questions whether they would turn one of the tower to DVC - that would have been the perfect opportunity. But in Anaheim, I think they have little problem keeping the resort rooms full of paying customers, so there was no pressing need to do that. Combine that with Disneyland's "Locals majority" they may feel that it is not a great market for DVC anyways. There is also the fact that you can pay <$150 a night for a room not 400 feet from the front entrance to the park, they may feel that hurts the market also.

This is all conjecture of course, but there has to be SOME reason. WDW has had a constant infux of new DVC resort locations over the last 15 years, while Cailfornia has only had one, and it was a small one.

(The odd thing about the VGC is that the owners don't usually fill it up very fast. Pretty much any time of year except holidays /events it seems you can book at 7+ months, but as soon as it hits 7 months, boom they're gone. So, the fact may be there is more demand for VGC from non-owners, which also wouldn't motivate Disney to build more.)

Yes forgot about that. I can't see any other reasons why not but that makes the most sense. I haven't heard anything bad about aulani other than expense it also always rated one of the best Hawaiian resorts.

 

[skier_pete]

Hi everyone! I thought I would write a quick update, though the main reason I haven't updated is there's been very little change. A couple of things though.

1) Our waitlist for VGC has NOT come through - a continual disappointment, but I have pretty much resigned myself that we won't be staying there other than the one night.
2) While we knew that a lot of things would be closed while we were there - the list looks like it might be pretty massive. While they've only posted park hours through January 18th, here is a list of things that will be closed that day:
Disneyland Park Rehabs

• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Disneyland Railroad
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Mark Twain Riverboat
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Sailing Ship Columbia
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island/Rafts
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Fantasmic!
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Davy Crockett Explorer Canoes
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Autopia
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Haunted Mansion
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Jungle Cruise

Disney California Adventure Rehabs

• 02/17/15 - Early '16 - Luigi's Flying Tires
• 12/14/15 - Unknown - It's Tough to be a Bug!
• 01/04/16 - Unknown - Soarin' Over California
• 01/11/16 - Unknown - Grizzly River Run

Now - Haunted Mansion and Jungle Cruise are closed to remove the overlays, so I would expect them to be reopened, but the rest???? That's a LOT of closures! They also don't mention the Aladdin musical, which is also scheduled to close in January. I'm also expecting no fireworks since it's midweek, but the current January schedule gives me hope that at least we'll be able to see Paint The Night and World of Color. (Edit: According to Miceage, the new Luigi ride should be up and running by our visit as well.)

3) The combination of these two factors has made me re-evaluate the trip a teeny bit. I was pricing tickets a while back and trying to decide if I wanted to pre-purchase before a price increase. Well, turns out you CAN'T pre-purchase for tickets you want to use next year...current tickets need to be used by the end of the year.

However, I realized that since we are going to DLR and Legoland together, there is a California pass that if we were to buy we could get 3 days at DLR, 1 day a Legoland, and 1 day at SeaWorld for significantly less than what we would pay for 4 days a DLR and 1 day at Legoland. In addition, it was recently announced that SeaWorld San Diego will be getting rid of it's killer whale shows (Thanks PETA) and so it will sort of be a "last chance to see" type situation.

And while we were planning 4 days at DLR, the last day (friday) we were only going to spend until around 1 PM there, meaning we would only have 4 hours there on our fourth day.

So, with no VGC stay, and so many closures, we felt that losing those 4 hours probably wouldn't be a big deal, and instead we would head to Legoland on Friday...following it up with SeaWorld on Saturday. Only 3 days at DLR feels a little thin - but I look at the list and after RSR/Carsland, there's hardly anything to do at California Adventure if Soarin/GRR and Aladdin are all closed.

I imagine unless my wait-list comes through I won't have an update until after the holidays...sorry it couldn't be more exciting.

 

[rteetz]

That is a lot of closures. All for what some consider better things to come.

You actually should be able to ride the new luigi ride as it's supposed to be open by then.

I have no interest in legoland but am interested to hear how you like it. I only know about the one in florida. I've also never been to SeaWorld and they really had no choice to do something about the killer whales unfortunately.

 

[NJlauren]

That's for posting the closures I'm trying to figure out what the state of closures will be in May but I know for DL it's just to far out to know, but I do think a lot of those are supposed to be closed for a year!!!!

 

[skier_pete]

That is a lot of closures. All for what some consider better things to come.

You actually should be able to ride the new luigi ride as it's supposed to be open by then.

I have no interest in legoland but am interested to hear how you like it. I only know about the one in florida. I've also never been to SeaWorld and they really had no choice to do something about the killer whales unfortunately.

Legoland is for little kids mostly - I mean, the stuff is neat, but I can't understand why she even wants to go again. We are giving her the chance because she will only get less into it as she gets older. Oh well, there's some cool stuff to see there, but you aren't missing much if you never go.

Hopefully the new Luigi ride will be open. Somewhat Ironically our OTHER visit to DLR was right after the Flying Tires version opened, and while they still had beach-balls on the ride. It was actually fun in a "how does this stupid thing work" kind of way. PRobably was a good idea to close it, but now it sounds like it's going to be pretty close to Mater's in ride style. I think there's a good chance we'll get to ride it, though...the last thing I saw said it might soft open for Christmas holidays.

That's for posting the closures I'm trying to figure out what the state of closures will be in May but I know for DL it's just to far out to know, but I do think a lot of those are supposed to be closed for a year!!!!

Well, as I said, the Jungle Cruise and Haunted Mansion are to take down the overlays. They should be back in May. I am not sure about Autotopia, but the rest of the MK stuff will down all year.

I am assuming the Grizzly River closure is winter related....probably not a popular ride in California in January. Soarin' is the one that has me the most baffled. They JUST did a major closure to Soarin' last year where they switched it to the digital projectors. Does this closure mean they are putting in the new film?? I was sort of hoping for one more ride with the old film. Don't know about It's Tough to be a Bug, but as my DD says "Don't Care!"

 

[franandaj]

so I would expect them to be reopened, but the rest????

The other closures in DL are for at least two years. They are removing part of Tom Sawyer's island and rerouting the Rivers of America. The train is also affected all because of the building of Star Wars Land. They can't run F! While the RoA are drained. I wasn't aware that GRR and Soarin were going down. HM and Jungle cruise should be done by then it only takes a week to remove the overlays. I wonder why they are scheduled to be down so long?

ITTBAB has not been running for a long time. Instead they have run previews of upcoming movies in there. At least you can see the Tiki Room.

 

[skier_pete]

The other closures in DL are for at least two years. They are removing part of Tom Sawyer's island and rerouting the Rivers of America. The train is also affected all because of the building of Star Wars Land. They can't run F! While the RoA are drained. I wasn't aware that GRR and Soarin were going down. HM and Jungle cruise should be done by then it only takes a week to remove the overlays. I wonder why they are scheduled to be down so long?

ITTBAB has not been running for a long time. Instead they have run previews of upcoming movies in there. At least you can see the Tiki Room.

TIKI ROOM!!!! That's BETTER BE OPEN this time! I am still upset about that!

The reason the table is "unknown" is because none of these have really been announced. They have been going off the daily calendar on the website.

Looking now at January 22nd (The last date on the calendar showing a schedule) it looks like Haunted Mansion and Grizzly RR are back open. (HM is still closed on the 21st, while GRR reopens on the 16th.) Soarin', Autotopia, and Jungle Cruise are still showing down - except it says "Jingle Cruise" so not sure if that just means the Christmas overlay is down or the actual ride is down. I can't imagine that overlay takes much to take down.

However, now it is showing "World Of Color" closed as well - starting on the January 19th - hopefully that will be a short refurb. I will be very upset if that is not running as well as Fantasmic and the fireworks. This will definitely be our last visit ever in February if so much stuff is down! (Edit: Acutally they are showing the fireworks running the week of Jan 19th, so maybe there's still hope for that.)

 

[PrincessInOz]

I sympathise. I've been to DLR in Jan a couple of time now and there are usually a lot of closures. I guess after the peak Christmas period, a lot of regular maintenance gets shifted into Jan/Feb.
On the plus side, it tends to be less crowded and it's also a good time to go check out the other SoCal parks and attractions.

Still....with the closures around RoA for the new StarWars land, that seems to be a lot of attractions down.

 

[skier_pete]

I sympathise. I've been to DLR in Jan a couple of time now and there are usually a lot of closures. I guess after the peak Christmas period, a lot of regular maintenance gets shifted into Jan/Feb.
On the plus side, it tends to be less crowded and it's also a good time to go check out the other SoCal parks and attractions.

Still....with the closures around RoA for the new StarWars land, that seems to be a lot of attractions down.

Yes while I'm disappointed in the closures around RoA - I knew that was coming. But if Soarin' and GRR and Jungle Cruise and Aladdin are going to be closed too - that really starts to cut down on things to do. It just clearly to me says that 3 days might well be enough time to see everything that's actually open.

 

[skier_pete]

Big news - we went to see the BPO (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) do their "Jingle Bell Jam" (Xmas concert for kids) and I was walking out of the concert I checked my E-mail, and I had a new e-mail saying:

"We can't wait to welcome you to DISNEYLAND resort!!"

So I clicked on it and BAM - we got ONE of our waitlists!!

It's for a single night on Tuesday - February 16th - in a one-bedroom. But it's makes me so excited, because I was really disappointed that we were only going to get ONE night in the Grand Californian, which basically meant as soon as we got there, we would have to leave. Now at least we have two night in a row, which gives us a FULL day in the parks without having to change hotels.

The BAD news though is that we do have to change hotel ROOMS. This is what our room schedule now looks like.
2/14 - Tangerine Hotel - Burbank
2/15 - Grand Californian - Studio
2/16 - Grand Californian - 1-bedroom
2/17 & 2/18 - Carousel Inn - 2-bedroom
2/19 & 2/20 - Hilton Maribisa - 1-bedroom

So over 7 nights we have 5 different rooms. It's really going to be "living out of a suitcase"!

The other piece is it still gives me hope we might still get the 3rd and 4th nights - in which case we would actually probably cancel this studio. I considered breaking up the 3rd and 4th night to two separate waitlists, but then decided that I would just leave it be. The problem with breaking it up is if we got 12/18 but NOT 12/17, I wouldn't want that anyways. (And, yes I did check to see if 12/17 was open immediately after I saw the e-mail.)

Ah well, all is looking good right now!

 

[rteetz]

Congrats on the 1 bedroom! I need to go to Disneyland one of these days but you know college is kind of important lol.

 

[YodasMom]

Congratulations! When my waitlists have come through, it has always been during the last couple of months before the trip, so your others still may come through! Good luck!