Rule of 4 Now Applies to the Disney Hotels in California

[CarolMN]

Just noticed this on the Member Website (under notifications, which I usually skip, LOL):

Important Information for Disney Collection Exchange Option Reservations
Beginning August 24, 2023, Disney Vacation Club will implement the Rule of Four and a nonrefundable $95 transaction fee for Disney Collection reservations at the Disneyland Resort in California. Payment will be collected at the time of booking.

For those who may not know, the Rule of Four - Disney Collection reservations (excluding reservations at Tokyo Disney Resort) must be made prior to the last 4 months of your Use Year for stays during that Use Year.


That rule and the $95 fee hasn't applied to the California non-DVC Disney resorts for quite some time. Looks like it will now. Don't know why the change has been made..

 

[zavandor]

I think DLR was considered an exception because VGC is so small and not available direct, not even via waitlist. To give the impression members had an option for California too (a costly option, I may add).
Now there is a larger DVC resort, so no need to keep the illusion, just go and buy points there

 

[CarolynFH]

I think DLR was considered an exception because VGC is so small and not available direct, not even via waitlist. To give the impression members had an option for California too (a costly option, I may add).
Now there is a larger DVC resort, so no need to keep the illusion, just go and buy points there

Or use your DVC-Y points to book there!

 

[zavandor]

Or use your DVC-Y points to book there!

Between us, I don't think I'll stay at the VDH. The TOT alone is halfway to booking a decent option offsite.
I've stayed at the VGC and it's a lovely resort. I'm not as attracted to the DH.

 

[CarolynFH]

Between us, I don't think I'll stay at the VDH. The TOT alone is halfway to booking a decent option offsite.
I've stayed at the VGC and it's a lovely resort. I'm not as attracted to the DH.

Yes, we’ve stayed offsite using another timeshare exchange two out of three times we’ve visited DLR. We stayed at GC the first time, but that was before DVC VGC existed. Next time we visit I’ll definitely look at out of pocket cost when deciding whether to book DVC or not.

 

[Sandisw]

Or use your DVC-Y points to book there!

I am going to be a bit of a pain here, but the DVC Y doesn’t determine point usage.
You can buy 50 direct points, still be DYC ND and those 50 points can be used

Now that the minimum buy is only 100, I think it’s important distinction

 

[CarolynFH]

I am going to be a bit of a pain here, but the DVC Y doesn’t determine point usage.
You can buy 50 direct points, still be DYC ND and those 50 points can be used

Now that the minimum buy is only 100, I think it’s important distinction

Yes, that's true.

 

[bobbiwoz]

To clarify …. You are talking about using points to stay in a Disney hotel, but not a DVC hotel in CA, right? Are you saying I can’t stay in a hotel in CA during the last 4 months of my UY unless I have booked it more than 4 months out? I don’t understand why there is such a rule.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Between us, I don't think I'll stay at the VDH. The TOT alone is halfway to booking a decent option offsite.
I've stayed at the VGC and it's a lovely resort. I'm not as attracted to the DH.

We've got a preferred studio booked for 4 nights, two weeks from now, and I'm reasonably certain the $63.94 per night in TOT wouldn't get me halfway to anything decent offsite, considering the Motel 6 on Harbor is $150 per night for those dates.

 

[Genie+]

To clarify …. You are talking about using points to stay in a Disney hotel, but not a DVC hotel in CA, right? Are you saying I can’t stay in a hotel in CA during the last 4 months of my UY unless I have booked it more than 4 months out? I don’t understand why there is such a rule.

I’m trying to understand too.

I think it means you can’t use points where the booking date is outside their banking window? So no booking date that is in the last 4 months of your User Year.

 

[zavandor]

We've got a preferred studio booked for 4 nights, two weeks from now, and I'm reasonably certain the $63.94 per night in TOT wouldn't get me halfway to anything decent offsite, considering the Motel 6 on Harbor is $150 per night for those dates.

October is a busy time at DL and you haven't looked at discounts or booked far in advance. I bet you can do better than Motel 6.
Mine wasn't a detailed analysis of costs of the Anaheim hotels. But $64 look like a lot of money to me, in addition to the points.
Look at the positive side. If cheap people like me avoid the VDH, more space for you!

 

[zavandor]

To clarify …. You are talking about using points to stay in a Disney hotel, but not a DVC hotel in CA, right? Are you saying I can’t stay in a hotel in CA during the last 4 months of my UY unless I have booked it more than 4 months out? I don’t understand why there is such a rule.

My understanding is that you can stay during the last 4 months of your UY, but you must book earlier than that.
Basically it is to avoid that people who have forgotten to bank (or had to cancel after the banking window) use their points for hotels rather than losing them.

 

[sndral]

I am going to be a bit of a pain here, but the DVC Y doesn’t determine point usage.
You can buy 50 direct points, still be DYC ND and those 50 points can be used

Now that the minimum buy is only 100, I think it’s important distinction

Indeed, I have grandfathered resale points that qualified me as blue card/Y, but I could never use those points to book via the Disney collection exchange since I bought them after March 21, 2011, when that perk was removed from resale buyers.

 

[DonMacGregor]

October is a busy time at DL and you haven't looked at discounts or booked far in advance. I bet you can do better than Motel 6.
Mine wasn't a detailed analysis of costs of the Anaheim hotels. But $64 look like a lot of money to me, in addition to the points.
Look at the positive side. If cheap people like me avoid the VDH, more space for you!

I grew up in Anaheim, and still live 15 minutes from the resort. Every month is busy here.

You specifically said "The TOT alone is halfway to booking a decent option offsite" which is categorically not true, and also why I didn't mention the points cost. $64 is nowhere near halfway to booking anything remotely decent in the resort area. I don't think I've ever heard someone say "I bet you can do better than Motel 6" (as in more moderately priced) when looking for decent accommodations, but whatever. As to whether $64 looks like a lot of money, well that's up to you.

 

[zavandor]

I've looked on Booking.com, end of January, several options under £100.
In DL, as long as I have a place to sleep, I don't care much about the resort amenities. If it's a clean room, I'm good to go. We probably have different concepts of "decent".
Note that I have written "decent" and not "good".

ETA: I've had a look at II Getaways. Clementine Hotel & Suites Anaheim have a 1BR available the last week of October for $1,350 for the full week. Reviews are good enough and it's comparable distance as the VDH. There are options.

 

[Sandisw]

To clarify …. You are talking about using points to stay in a Disney hotel, but not a DVC hotel in CA, right? Are you saying I can’t stay in a hotel in CA during the last 4 months of my UY unless I have booked it more than 4 months out? I don’t understand why there is such a rule.

The rule of 4 is in place to allow them time to rent the points you have traded to use in that collection.

That is why it has to be booked before the 4 months. It’s even possible thst your points are banked ti be used later too

 

[ClaraOswald]

I just saw this on my account and had a question.

Is this just about using points to book a regular hotel room and not a villa? Or is this something to do with actual DVC rooms?

Sorry...I've never heard of this before and am confused.

 

[Sandisw]

I just saw this on my account and had a question.

Is this just about using points to book a regular hotel room and not a villa? Or is this something to do with actual DVC rooms?

Sorry...I've never heard of this before and am confused.

Using points to book hotel rooms, not DVC.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Reminder that using points to trade in for hotel rooms is an absolutely terrible use of points / value.

 

[MagicDVC]

Resale points haven't been eligible since 2011 and it's a terrible use of points.