Disneyland Hotel Villas Owners Thread

I’m here! Love VDH although been using most of my points elsewhere recently 😆

Fell in love with California! After many, many years at WDW, we decided to buy at Disneyland Villas.

Best decision we ever made!

As soon as I knew it was going to be built, I started saving for it. I've owned since day 3. I told my guide that I knew she was probably overwhelmed the day it went on sale and told her to call me when she had time. That was day 3. 🤣

Since my first stay at Disneyland Hotel I loved it and I even got married there. After talking about DVC for a long time once we heard about VDH being built we decided to take the plunge. It was a great decision and we are looking forward to our next visit in a couple weeks.

Just bought 150 points direct at Disneyland Hotels. First trip scheduled in December. Looking forward to it!

Not a VDH owner but staying for the first time in the villas next month over Memorial Day weekend. We chose it over Grand Cal because the rooms were so new and elevated, and because of the history and nostalgia of the Disneyland Hotel. The rooms look incredible.

We love VDH. We'll be there in a few days for dapper day weekend. We usually stay in larger rooms at other resorts but we have become fans of using our points at studios for short trips at VDH. So far the hidden gem for us is the garden rooms. That's my happy place.

You can probably find me at Trader Sam’s or Palm Breeze…..

I'd been to DL a few times growing up; When our son and his family went a few times with their first child and raved about how great it was, Hubby and I went and couldn't agree more. We bought at VDL and have stayed twice and will stay there again with the family in October. DL and WDW each have their uniqueness.

Hello from the Zepeda family in Visalia, California! 👋

Proud VDH owners and happy to find this corner of the community! We were there for the Grand Opening on September 28, 2023 and it was truly something special. The energy that night was unlike anything we had experienced, and the gifts given to all the first nighters made it a memory we will never forget. 🎉

We have had the pleasure of staying in a Duo Studio, Deluxe Studio, Garden Room Deluxe Studio, and a Two Bedroom Villa, so we have been getting to know every corner of this beautiful property. Each stay has only made us love VDH more.

We are also SSR owners, so we get the best of both coasts, but there is something undeniably magical about staying steps away from the original Disneyland. Looking forward to connecting with fellow VDH owners here!

Arthur & Lina Zepeda | VDH & SSR owners

We love the Disneyland Hotel Tower. We have stayed there a couple of time already and are planning of going there again next year for on the Disney After-Hours events that Disneyland has.

Those are my 2 home resorts too!

Does anyone know what percentage of the Disneyland DVC tower has been sold/declared to date?

Last time I checked it was around 60%.

How does one check?

Staying at DLH for the first time in November. I was shocked to see the larger rooms get booked up before the studios. We have two studio rooms booked but hoping a 1 or 2 bedroom opens up. Either way, excited to head to Disneyland for the first time!

VDH skews heavily to Studios. Of the 326 built units, only 19 are one bedroom (and 18 of those are lockoffs, so those might end up becoming two bedroom villas),. There are only 20 Two bedroom, and a spartan 2 grand villas. Source: dvcnews.com

I'm usually a "one bedroom guy" at WDW, but for my usual 3 or 4 night annual stays at VDH, I find the deluxe studios manageable. I'm even trying a Duo Studio this fall...

The Disneyland Hotel has a lot of nostalgia for us. Our first trip to Disneyland back in the late 1980s we stayed there. DH became our place to stay. for our annual pilgrimage. We made our first WDW trip in 1996 and bought into DVC and WDW became our destination. So when VDH was first offered, we jumped on it. Did not research it just did it. Several things that I wish I knew before hand that I later found out.

1) TOT. Really hate paying this.

2) So Few 1 and 2 bedrooms. We almost always stay in a 1br in WDW I suppose that the TOT has something to do with it. Use more points pay more TOT.

3) Restrictions. Ok this I knew, and since I figured I would never sell, not big deal. What I did not know was how badly this craters the resale value.

4) The walk to the parks. We are pushing 70 now. The walk through Downtown Disney can be brutal at the end of the day. We figured No problem, we will just take the monorail. Well we have found the monorail to be very unreliable, especially in the afternoons.

5) Views. The views can be pretty industrial. Not a deal breaker but still.

Am I happy I bought in? Yes, Yes we are. It is a beautiful resort with a nice original vibe.

Would I trade it for VGC, Yes, Yes I would. (we own there as well!)

Hello you wonderful VDH owners! Have any of you bought at VDH without ever visiting Anaheim before? We've never been, and I really want to buy a direct contract before the minimum buy in for perks goes up.

We don't have a visit planned until January of 2027. And I'm afraid that'll be too late. I'm sure we'll love the O.G., but buying without visiting makes me nervous.

I knew I would own here as soon as I visited last summer. We love the nostalgia and vibe that the resort has and the walkability that Disneyland has over WDW!

Had a blast this past weekend at Dapper Day. We were on the Mark Twain when it started to take on water due to too many of us being on one side. Fun times.

How many months in advance did you try to book a larger room?

We just purchased VDH points a couple months ago. They are also our first direct points. We haven't stayed at VDH yet or even at the Disneyland hotel. But we visited while we were staying at VGC in December and really liked it! I especially like the hotel grounds and the overall vibe of everything. Our first stay here won't be until June 2027. I'm really hoping we can book a 1-bedroom! The main reason we wanted more DVC points was to always stay in a 1-BR so I hope this isn't an issue for us at VDH. We plan to alternate our Disneyland trips between VDH and VGC.

We are starting at the 7 month window since we are not owners here.

could be really tough. Good Luck

I'm a Disneyland local and Magic Key passholder. We bought 150 direct points at VDH. I love staycations here. It does feel different staying at the VDH even though I've been a passholder since 2005 and live 20 minutes away. I also have 150 direct points at the Riviera becasue I love going to WDW. I've been using all my points and borrowing points for trips to WDW and Aulani. I like to bring friends to WDW and stay in the one bedroom at the Rivera so it does eat up my points fast! I'm also going on my first DVC cruise out of San Diego in April 2027 so I'm pretty excited for that! I'm glad to see so many DVC owners enjoying VDH and the Disneyland Resort!

VDH was our first DVC purchase. We're Magic Key Holders living in Arizona, so we do frequent 2-4 day stays, often during the week, to stretch our points.

@DVCken We bought it sight unseen. I booked a cash stay after a year of research - I wanted to go stay at, not just tour, the resort before deciding. I had such a grand plan. Then I added up how much we'd spent on lodging during the previous 12 months and I was blown away. I called to buy points the next day. Didn't even make it to our cash stay. 🤣 DVD easily converted our cash booking into points, so our first time on the property was also our first stay. We love it! VGC will likely be our next purchase as I've always loved that resort, but we're absolutely delighted with VDH. No regrets.

That's really good to hear! Maybe it's reckless but I'm really leaning towards buying before we ever visit California. I don't want to wait until after our visit in January 2027.

Don't own there but we've stayed there twice because my Anaheim native wife still has family in the area. Great resort, love the DL Hotel and Palm Breeze is a great new establishment. Very similar to Geyser Point, just different theming.

@DVCKen Not reckless, we also bought sight unseen. we had stayed at the Disneyland Hotel a couple of times back in the early 1990's when the kids were small. Really great memories, so we thought, This is Perfect and jumped. A couple of things I wish I knew before pulling the trigger.

First the walk back through Downtown Disney can be a real killer on a hot afternoon. The Monorail often does not run during the hot part of the day. We are pushing 70, so a hike is not as fun as it used to be.

Next, The views can be really hit or miss. We had one stay where we overlooked the loading dock for the convention center. We started hearing the truck backup alarms around 6:00 AM. The next trip, however we looked towards the parks and even saw fireworks.

Then there is the Anaheim TOT. Its a tax that you must pay at checkout. The more points you use the higher the TOT. VGC has it in the dues. All area hotels charge it. It can be a substantial expense if you stay in a 1 or 2 bedroom as we usually do.

There is also restrictions on point use on resale, just like RIV. This is not a big deal to us, but it does lower the resale value.

The materials used in the interior are well, inferior. Lots of wear and tear showing. That has been covered in other threads.

The layout of a 1 bedroom villa is not to my taste. I much prefer VGC or any of the older resorts layout, but DW likes it just fine.

All that said, the grounds are spectacular. We also love the lobby. It is very nostalgic for us. The CMs are top notch and really friendly and helpful. However I really prefer VGC over VDH.

Would we have bought it knowing what we know now? Yes, almost certainly yes.

Will we keep it or sell and add on at VGC. Time will tell on that one. It does make a great change of pace for a split stay between VGC and VDH.

Good Luck with your decision!

All good info, thanks!

We bought VDH about a year and a half ago because of Disney Forward. I know things can change, but the initial plans to incorporate the hotel into or directly adjacent to an expansion was enticing. Will it ever happen? Don't care, still love the hotel and we are CA residents, so it was the best option :) 200 points, may buy more soon either at VDH or resale at another resort.

I know the hotel isn't close to selling out yet, but we wanted to stake our claim before that possibility. I think as Disney Forward becomes more real/promoted the value of VDH will increase.

We bought VDH when it was first offered. We live on the west coast, which makes DLR an easy flight, unlike the 6 hour journey to Orlando. We could not afford VGC when it came on sale and always was bummed about that. We did use our points back in the early 2006 to book a stay at the hotel side of the Grand Californian. Back then the points went a lot further booking rooms. It was great!

I much prefer VGC over VDH. However that being said. It makes for great split stays between the 2! Different vibe, almost like having 2 vacations at once! And you really cannot go wrong at VDH. The Walk back in the afternoon can be a killer for us, but that can change with Disneyland Forward. We shall see!

We bought VDH about a year and a half ago because of Disney Forward. I know things can change, but the initial plans to incorporate the hotel into or directly adjacent to an expansion was enticing. Will it ever happen? Don't care, still love the hotel and we are CA residents, so it was the best option :) 200 points, may buy more soon either at VDH or resale at another resort.

I know the hotel isn't close to selling out yet, but we wanted to stake our claim before that possibility. I think as Disney Forward becomes more real/promoted

Our "Welcome Home" stay was at the VGC, it's our favorite. Unfortunately, it wasn't very welcoming. it was the same week VP Vance visited. Avoiding any political commentary, the logistics made it a tough week. Have a long story about it...