The Official VILLAS at DISNEYLAND HOTEL (Discovery Tower) Owners and Fans Info Thread

[ehh]

Declaration Info!
Thanks so much to @ehh who added Declaration information to post #5
which he'll continue to update. So awesome! Here's a link to that post:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...rs-and-fans-info-thread.3923658/post-64908688

Thanks for letting me use one of the reserved posts, @UrsulaWantsYourSoul !

Condensed version of what's in the full post:

Current Inventory: 141 of 326 rooms available to book (43.3% of rooms, 41.5% of points). A breakdown:

• Duo Studios - 15 total rooms, 11 non-accessible + 4 accessible
  • Standard View: 7 non-accessible + 2 accessible rooms
  • Preferred View: 3 non-accessible + 1 accessible room
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible + 1 accessible room
• Deluxe Studios - 118 total rooms, 95 non-accessible + 23 accessible
  • Standard View: 40 non-accessible rooms + 10 accessible rooms
  • Preferred View: 54 non-accessible rooms + 12 accessible rooms
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible room + 1 accessible room
• 1 Bedrooms - 8 total rooms, 6 non-accessible + 2 accessible
• 2 Bedroom Lock-Offs - 6+ total rooms, 6 non-accessible + ? accessible
• 2 Bedrooms (Dedicated) - 6 total rooms, 4 non-accessible + 2* accessible
• 3 Bedroom Grand Villa - 1 total rooms, 0 non-accessible + 1 accessible

How long has this inventory level been available?
It's tough to say for sure. Detailed inventory is easiest to view through the online booking tool, which was not available until 7/27/23. However, phone bookings began 5/16/23 and a significant volume of reservations were made between 5/16/23 and 7/27/23

What I've been able to deduce: it's likely the inventory available on 7/27/23 (for booking dates through July 3, 2024) was available for booking dates starting mid-May 2024, but likely even earlier. Possibly much earlier: the full accessible room inventory is available all the way back to opening day, 9/28/23. However, accessible rooms might have been the first rooms declared.

What's up with the 2BR accessible rooms?
I think DVC made a mistake with the online booking tool. There are two identical categories posted under 2BR accessible rooms, and I think one should be a lock-off version. I also think that the currently available Hearing accessible 2BR should be a 2BRLO, based on the fact there's only one dedicated 1BR and two accessible 1BRs, but identical 2BRLO and 1BR non-accessible inventories. This shouldn't be possible.

Previous Declarations and Inventory Updates

Spoiler: Initial Declaration - Declared May 2, 2023 - Inventory available Sept 28, 2023 and later

Initial Declaration - Declared May 2, 2023 - Inventory available Sept 28, 2023 and later

61 of 326 rooms (18.7% of rooms, 17.6% of points). A breakdown:

• Duo Studios - 8 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 4
  • Preferred View: 2
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible + 1 accessible room
    • Garden non-accessible: 1 room
    • Garden Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room
• Deluxe Studios - 49 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 23
  • Preferred View: 24
    • 23 Dedicated
    • 1 from 2BRLO
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible room + 1 accessible room
    • Garden Hearing Accessible: 1 room
• 1 Bedrooms - 2 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 2
    • 1 Dedicated
    • 1 from 2BRLO
• 2 Bedroom Lock-Offs - 1 total room, unknown accessible/non-accessible status
  • Preferred View 1
• 2 Bedrooms (Dedicated) - 2 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 2
• 3 Bedroom Grand Villa - 1 total rooms, 0 non-accessible + 1 accessible
  • Preferred View Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1

Spoiler: Declaration #2 - Declared May 23, 2023 - Inventory available Sept 28, 2023 and later

Declaration #2 - Declared May 23, 2023 - Inventory available Sept 28, 2023 and later

Added: 11 rooms (3.4% of rooms, 4.7% of points). A breakdown:

• Duo Studios - 2 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 2
• Deluxe Studios - 7 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 4
  • Preferred View: 3
    • 0 dedicated
    • 3 from 2BRLO
• 1 Bedrooms - 3 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 3
    • 0 dedicated
    • 3 from 2BRLO
• 2 Bedroom Lock-Offs - 3 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View 3
• 2 Bedrooms (Dedicated) - 2 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 2
• 3 Bedroom Grand Villas - 0 rooms added
  • Preferred View: 0

Total inventory: 72 of 326 rooms (22.1% of rooms, 22.3% of points). A breakdown:

• Duo Studios - 10 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 6
  • Preferred View: 2
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible + 1 accessible room
    • Garden non-accessible: 1 room
    • Garden Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room
• Deluxe Studios - 56 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 27
  • Preferred View: 27
    • 23 Dedicated
    • 4 from 2BRLO
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible room + 1 accessible room
    • Garden Hearing Accessible: 1 room
• 1 Bedrooms - 5 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 5
    • 1 Dedicated
    • 4 from 2BRLO
• 2 Bedroom Lock-Offs - 4 total room, unknown accessible/non-accessible status
  • Preferred View 4
• 2 Bedrooms (Dedicated) - 4 total rooms, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 4
• 3 Bedroom Grand Villa - 1 total rooms, 0 non-accessible + 1 accessible
  • Preferred View Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1

Spoiler: Future Declarations - Unknown Declared dates - Maximum inventory available approximately mid-May 2024 and later

Future Declarations - Unknown declared dates - Maximum inventory available approximately mid-May 2024 and later

A "Future Declaration" is a declaration that is showing in available inventory levels, but hasn't been filed yet. It's likely multiple future declarations bridge the gap between the "Declaration #2" inventory and current inventory. When these declaration documents are filed, expect this section to be broken into smaller sections.

Added: 69 rooms (21.2% of rooms, 18.2% of points). A breakdown:

• Duo Studios - 5 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 3
  • Preferred View: 2
• Deluxe Studios - 62 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Standard View: 23
  • Preferred View: 39
    • 36 dedicated
    • 3 from 2BRLO
• 1 Bedrooms - 3 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View: 3
    • 0 dedicated
    • 3 from 2BRLO
• 2 Bedroom Lock-Offs - 3 rooms added, unknown accessible/non-accessible split
  • Preferred View 3
• 2 Bedrooms (Dedicated) - 2 rooms added
  • Preferred View: 2
• 3 Bedroom Grand Villas - 0 rooms added
  • Preferred View: 0

Total inventory: 141 of 326 rooms (43.3% of rooms, 41.5% of points). A breakdown:

• Duo Studios - 15 total rooms, 11 non-accessible + 4 accessible
  • Standard View: 7 non-accessible + 2 accessible rooms
    • SV non-accessible: 7 rooms
    • SV Hearing Accessible: 1 room
    • SV Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room
  • Preferred View: 3 non-accessible + 1 accessible room
    • PV non-accessible: 3 rooms
    • PV Hearing Accessible: 1 room
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible + 1 accessible room
    • Garden non-accessible: 1 room
    • Garden Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room
• Deluxe Studios - 118 total rooms, 95 non-accessible + 23 accessible
  • Standard View: 40 non-accessible rooms + 10 accessible rooms
    • SV non-accessible: 40 rooms
    • SV Hearing Accessible: 5 rooms
    • SV Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, tub: 5 rooms
  • Preferred View: 54 non-accessible rooms + 12 accessible rooms
    • PV non-accessible: 54 rooms
    • PV Hearing Accessible: 9 rooms
    • PV Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, tub: 3 rooms
  • Garden Rooms: 1 non-accessible room + 1 accessible room
    • Garden non-accessible: 1 room
    • Garden Hearing Accessible: 1 room
• 1 Bedrooms - 8 total rooms, 6 non-accessible + 2 accessible
  • Preferred View non-accessible: 6 rooms
  • PV Hearing Accessible: 1 room
  • PV Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room
• 2 Bedroom Lock-Offs - 6+ total rooms, 6 non-accessible + ? accessible
  • Preferred View non-accessible: 6 rooms
  • PV Hearing Accessible: There should be at least 1 currently, but it looks like online booking tool has an error with double-listing dedicated 2BR Hearing Accessible.
• 2 Bedrooms (Dedicated) - 6 total rooms, 4 non-accessible + 2 accessible
  • Preferred View non-accessible: 4 rooms
  • PV Hearing Accessible: 1 room
  • PV Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room
• 3 Bedroom Grand Villa - 1 total rooms, 0 non-accessible + 1 accessible
  • Preferred View: 0 rooms
  • PV Wheelchair/Hearing Accessible, roll-in shower: 1 room

 

[MartyParty]

Declaration Info!
Thanks so much to @ehh who added Declaration information to post #5
which he'll continue to update. So awesome! Here's a link to that post:
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...rs-and-fans-info-thread.3923658/post-64908688

So, does this mean 41.5% of the VDH points have been sold?

 

[ehh]

So, does this mean 41.5% of the VDH points have been sold?
View attachment 781618

No.

This means that current owners can access ~41.5% of inventory at 11m, based on points.

Somewhere between 12% and 15% has been sold. Why the range? 12% of points have been recorded (which has a slightly delay and is a floor) and we've only seen units on deeds that make up about 15% of points (which establishes a ceiling).

EDIT: 41.5% of inventory available could be interpreted as an upper-end estimation of how much DVC expects to have sold 11 months from now. 41.5% sold is ~960k more than the amount of points recorded today, and would need an average sales rate of ~20k/wk to hit. The current sales rate is ~17k/wk.

 

[MartyParty]

No.

This means that current owners can access ~41.5% of inventory at 11m, based on points.

Somewhere between 12% and 15% has been sold. Why the range? 12% of points have been recorded (which has a slightly delay and is a floor) and we've only seen units on deeds that make up about 15% of points (which establishes a ceiling).

EDIT: 41.5% of inventory available could be interpreted as an upper-end estimation of how much DVC expects to have sold 11 months from now. 41.5% sold is ~960k more than the amount of points recorded today, and would need an average sales rate of ~20k/wk to hit. The current sales rate is ~17k/wk.

Ok got it. Thanks.

 

[The_MT]

I’ll be there September 29 for opening weekend and again March 9. And don’t be surprised if I throw in another night somewhere in between!

 

[ehh]

So something I noticed when compiling the declaration/inventory update: turns out there are some Deluxe Studios that have a tub!

Background/tangent:
I think one of the flaws with VDH is the specific balance of rooms. After everything is declared, there will be:

• 36 Duo Studios
• 267 Deluxe Studios
  • 249 Dedicated
  • 18 from 2BRLOs
• 19 1-Bedrooms
  • 1 Dedicated
  • 18 from 2BRLOs
• 20 Dedicated 2-Bedrooms
• 18 Lock-off 2-Bedrooms
• 2 Grand Villas

Proportionally this is out of whack, very Studio-heavy and way off what non-Poly resorts have been to date. Comparing to the Poly, 73.4% of the Poly's points are in Studios; VDH is 70.3 - 74.6%, depending on LO splitting. Said another way: for many, Poly is mentally a "Studio-only resort", and VDH has a higher % of points dedicated to Studios than the Poly. (for reference, post-VGF2 is 67.5% Studios)

Unlike Poly Bungalows, 1BR and especially 2BR have decent popularity at every resort where they're available. Not Studio-levels, but definitely more popularity than Bungalows (even when accounting for supply differences). So just based on ratios, 1BR and 2BR are in short supply.

But there's exacerbating factors, too. VDH Deluxe Studios have other limitations that some other recent resorts don't:

• Only sleep 4
• Only have walk-in showers

Any family of 5 that wants to squeeze in to Deluxe Studio simply doesn't have the option. Any family that needs a tub to bathe a little one can't book a Deluxe Studio. They can't book a Duo either, duh.

So these families must book a 1BR or larger, or multiple rooms (which doesn't solve the tub problem), which is significantly more points but the Studios are simply not an option.

The logical thing in the absence of supply would be to juice the 1BR and 2BR points charts, right? Well...DVC didn't. Typically 1BR are ~2x the points of a Deluxe Studio with an equivalent view and 2BR are ~2.7x. At VDH? 1.7x for 1BR and 2.6x for 2BR.

All this is to say: they didn't build many Big Villas, they didn't add amenities to Studios that many families need to dissuade them from booking Big Villas, and they actually reduced the relative points of the Big Villas compared to historical norms.

So back to the tubs. Turns out wheelchair accessible Deluxe Studios have tubs! So if you're a family that needs a tub, this is another option. Don't book an accessible room if you don't need what it offers, but if you truly need the tub, you have a Studio option!

 

[AstroBlasters]

Just booked a VDH 1BD in early Jan with my Aulani direct points. It was half the points of VGC point chart…. something to keep in the memory banks…

 

[bbeagle]

Does anyone have an idea of when cash rooms for the Disneyland Hotel will open for 2024? I was able to reserve 4 nights with my DVC points, and just need to buy one night cash.

I’ve heard that these reservations can then be merged (or some other term) together, so I can stay in the same room the entire trip.

Will more DVC rooms open up for early 2024 as more DVC sales progress, or is this it?

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

Does anyone have an idea of when cash rooms for the Disneyland Hotel will open for 2024? I was able to reserve 4 nights with my DVC points, and just need to buy one night cash.

I’ve heard that these reservations can then be merged (or some other term) together, so I can stay in the same room the entire trip.

Will more DVC rooms open up for early 2024 as more DVC sales progress, or is this it?

Cash rooms for all Disneyland hotels will likely open later this month, based on past history.

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

Will more DVC rooms open up for early 2024 as more DVC sales progress, or is this it?

it’s possible, just depends how fast they sell the points they’ve declared already.

 

[ehh]

Just booked a VDH 1BD in early Jan with my Aulani direct points. It was half the points of VGC point chart…. something to keep in the memory banks…

First week of Jan is peak season at VGC and lowest season at VDH, so weird.

And it's a popular time for DL, too, not sure it should be in the lowest season. But glad it worked out for you!

 

[Batuuwanderer]

DH bought me a Magic Key Pass for my birthday and now I'm trying to squeeze in another trip October 14-16. I'm currently waitlisted for a Duo Studio but do you all think it's better to waitlist the Deluxe Studio since there is more inventory? I would be going sans kids so seems like a waste of points when it isn't necessary but then again would be moot if I can't even get a room!

 

[AstroBlasters]

First week of Jan is peak season at VGC and lowest season at VDH, so weird.

And it's a popular time for DL, too, not sure it should be in the lowest season. But glad it worked out for you!

First weekend is open to Magic Key and still decorated for a Christmas….. glad I have some direct points!

 

[UrsulaWantsYourSoul]

DH bought me a Magic Key Pass for my birthday and now I'm trying to squeeze in another trip October 14-16. I'm currently waitlisted for a Duo Studio but do you all think it's better to waitlist the Deluxe Studio since there is more inventory? I would be going sans kids so seems like a waste of points when it isn't necessary but then again would be moot if I can't even get a room!

Hey @Batuuwanderer. If you are OK with an Accessible room, there are Deluxe Studios available for your dates - I just checked. Do your search, then go up to the top for the drop drown for Room Type then check the box for Accessible Rooms. Our awesome ADA peeps have had more than time to claim rooms. Hearing Accessible will be the least different from a non-Accessible room. PM me if you have questions.

 

[Sunnyore]

DH bought me a Magic Key Pass for my birthday and now I'm trying to squeeze in another trip October 14-16. I'm currently waitlisted for a Duo Studio but do you all think it's better to waitlist the Deluxe Studio since there is more inventory? I would be going sans kids so seems like a waste of points when it isn't necessary but then again would be moot if I can't even get a room!

I would do what Ursula suggested of booking an accessible room right now with a waitlist of a duo to replace it if it goes through. There’s only 11 duo rooms right now and with the different categories that makes it even trickier to waitlist. But definitely wait list something because they can possibly declare more rooms again soon.

I myself am most excited about the duo rooms. I like the Tower rooms at Riviera a lot and so looking forward to the ones at VDH. For Sept-Oct I have all 3 category duo rooms booked to try out and obviously most excited about the garden rooms.

 

[bbeagle]

I would do what Ursula suggested of booking an accessible room right now with a waitlist of a duo to replace it if it goes through.

I currently have a 4 night reservation: 1BR, 1BR, 1BR, ST, 1BR.

I have a waitlist to get the studio replaced with a 1 bedroom.

If I replaced that studio with a 1BR hearing impaired, and my waitlist never comes through....
can a reservation of 1BR, 1BR, 1BR, 1BR HI, 1BR be 'merged' together so I stay in the same room, or are 1BR and 1BR HI considered different room types and cannot be 'merged'?

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

@UrsulaWantsYourSoul can you update the thread title to use all caps for the resort name like the other resort master threads?

 

[Batuuwanderer]

Hey @Batuuwanderer. If you are OK with an Accessible room, there are Deluxe Studios available for your dates - I just checked. Do your search, then go up to the top for the drop drown for Room Type then check the box for Accessible Rooms. Our awesome ADA peeps have had more than time to claim rooms. Hearing Accessible will be the least different from a non-Accessible room. PM me if you have questions.

Awesome. Thank you for the great advice. Totally forgot about the accessible rooms. Booked 1 night! I realized I don’t have enough points since I booked all my other vacations for 2024. Ha ha

 

[CarolynFH]

First week of Jan is peak season at VGC and lowest season at VDH, so weird.

And it's a popular time for DL, too, not sure it should be in the lowest season. But glad it worked out for you!

Yes, and I wonder whether there will be changes and reallocations when the 2025 charts come out. Will VGC change seasons to match VDH, or vice-versa, or both change to some extent?

 

[AstroBlasters]

Yes, and I wonder whether there will be changes and reallocations when the 2025 charts come out. Will VGC change seasons to match VDH, or vice-versa, or both change to some extent?

Oh, I hope not! I like these arbitrage opportunities!