Best place to buy Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa rooms?

[Rusty45398]

TIA

 

[AndrewC]

Like to actually make a reservation? I’ve never seen it discounted from the official Disney rate... so either direct with Disney, or possibly a credit card portal. (If you have a platinum card from Amex for example and book via AmexTravel you’ll earn 5X points on them, which REALLY adds up)

 

[Rusty45398]

I went with Chase Reserve so I only get 3X.... and they dont have any Disney hotels.

 

[pharmama]

Discount codes on Orbitz and CheapTickets do apply to DLR on property hotels up to a maximum of (usually) $150.

 

[AndrewC]

I went with Chase Reserve so I only get 3X.... and they dont have any Disney hotels.

Except you can book direct with Disney and you'll earn the 3x travel and if you haven't spent your $300 travel credit then that'll apply to the Disney reservation. In addition, if you can wait, you can buy your Disney park tickets when checking in AT the front desk and in my experience the last two years, that will also code as travel and thus 3x. Might be worth another 5 to 10k points depending on how many days and how many people.

(Note, do NOT wait to buy special ticketed events, like Halloween party tickets)

 

[MWGum]

We have used DVCRequest.com for GCH in the past and saved a ton. It's in the Vacation Club wing, but the walk isn't bad... especially with the amount of money that we saved.

 

[AndrewC]

We have used DVCRequest.com for GCH in the past and saved a ton. It's in the Vacation Club wing, but the walk isn't bad... especially with the amount of money that we saved.

I haven’t see any savings with that, what total price were you able to get?

 

[MWGum]

I haven’t see any savings with that, what total price were you able to get?

For our trip in December, we are saving over 65% on a 2 bedroom vs booking a 2 bedroom direct through Disney.

 

[pharmama]

We have used DVCRequest.com for GCH in the past and saved a ton. It's in the Vacation Club wing, but the walk isn't bad... especially with the amount of money that we saved.

For our trip in December, we are saving over 65% on a 2 bedroom vs booking a 2 bedroom direct through Disney.

Just to clarify- this is talking about renting DVC points to stay in the Villas at the Grand Californian (which can’t be booked direct thru Disney anyway as they’re basically booked all the time thru DVC). While you can save a good amount of money doing this it’s not for everyone as cancellations are not really an option and you need to plan pretty far ahead as VGC is high demand.

Don’t get me wrong- renting points can be an awesome deal and way to go (we rented points for Aulani last fall) but it requires some extra planning.

 

[MWGum]

Yes, sorry. I was just comparing 2 bedroom vs 2 bedroom cost. It does take more planning and has a slight risk involved since you are renting points. For us, it has worked great! But totally understand that it is not the same as booking direct through Disney and that it isn't for everyone.

 

[gottalovepluto]

I went with Chase Reserve so I only get 3X.... and they dont have any Disney hotels.

I think we’re having a translation problem here OP. Are you asking:
-What travel site has the best prices on Disney Hotels? Orbitz/cheaptickets if you can use a coupon. These coupons stack if Disney has a room sale going on which happens during slower seasons, takes about a week for these wholesalers to get access to the discounted rooms.
-What credit card to pay with? Whatever gets you the most on travel. Sounds like that’s your Reserve at 3x. All websites for booking a Disney hotel room should code as “travel”
-Use Chase Ultimate Rewards Portal to book? You mention Disney doesn’t show there. You are correct, all Disney hotels were completely purged from the Chase Travel Portal sometime back as well as Disney tickets. You cannot book rooms or tickets with UR points
-tickets were mentioned above: If you buy tickets online or at the ticket booth from Disney they will not code as travel, if you charge them to your room they will. If you buy from a 3rd party website you have a chance in will code as Travel and sometimes you’ll get a better price than direct from Disney but you have to research by comparing prices & making sure the agency is legit.

 

[smartlabelprint]

Another option...attend a special event. We are going to dapper days. They have group rates.

 

[gottalovepluto]

Another option...attend a special event. We are going to dapper days. They have group rates.

And Dapper Days is SO MUCH FUN!! Dress for then occasion however you want, check out the Expo. It’s great!!

 

[smartlabelprint]

And Dapper Days is SO MUCH FUN!! Dress for then occasion however you want, check out the Expo. It’s great!!

I’m excited to go. This will be a kid free trip so we can handle the crowds!