Have you or would you...Grand Villa

[ADAMANDLISA]

We will be taking some family to WDW next year and I really wanted to get a grand villa.....but the points are so high! I will give you all some info about trip, and I'm hoping that you can all help me.

The Cast: (ages at time of travel)
1. Me, DH, DS3, DS2 and hopefully DBaby who will be
either M or F, hopefully:lmao:

2. DMIL and DFIL

3. DBIL and DSIL, DNep.11, DNie.9, DNep. 7 and DNiece 5

4. possibility of DBIL and DSIL (possible baby....they're trying too:thumbsup2 )

Without #4, I know we'd fit pretty well in a Grand Villa, with them ????

So, I guess what I really need to know is if the Grand Villa's are really worth it? They cost so many points and while we have extra we wanted to use, we just aren't sure that this is the way to go. I need to know that the GV is going to blow my mind. We don't know how many days we are going for yet, but the longer the better.

Please help! All opinions welcome!:thumbsup2

[DisDaydreamer]

We have never stayed in a GV (yet). You have very many people staying with you. I think a GV is marginal in accomodating everyone. I would prefer two, two bdrm units. Somehow (for me) everyone together might be a problem with one set of washer and dryers. Maybe even some members don't get along with others. The kitchens are going to be just as capable of handling "X" number of people and you can alternate kitchens used. I don't know... just some thoughts.

[kikiq]

We're going this summer with 10, possibly 12 people. We have a studio and a 2bdrm ressie. Decided against the GV because I know that my DH will need his down time from my family. I think it depends on how well your family gets along. My dh loves my family but we are a busy stay up late bunch and he likes his quiet time, so having our own studio made sense. The AKV GV is huge and so is the OKW GV...think of it this way, both GVs are around 2400 sq ft...could all of you live together in one "house" for a week and not hurt someone.

I think I might try it if we could get an OKW GV or the one story AKV GV. We had the opportunity to move for 2 nites to AKV GV, but the family voted against moving and said another time when we could stay the entire time there.

[rigsby25]

It all depends, but I vote for the Grand Villa! We had a family reunion in one in 2006. What happened though, was that we were confirmed and guaranteed at OKW, and then 3 days out, they discovered a booking error and moved us to SSR. But all the relatives were impressed. There were 3 private rooms, and my husband and I and the kids (teens) slept in the living room. They gave us extra bedding because I called down and said although we had 12 people, there weren't 6 couples, so we had to bring a couple of air beds. (twin size - plenty of room). We had movie nights and popcorn and pizza and stuff going on all the time. It was so much fun that I can't wait till we do it again!!!! This time out we weren't able to get the grand villa so we rented a couple of two bedroom units. We'll see how it goes. You know what? You are on vacation! Forget the privacy. Have fun!

[Deb & Bill]

We will be taking some family to WDW next year and I really wanted to get a grand villa.....but the points are so high! I will give you all some info about trip, and I'm hoping that you can all help me.

The Cast: (ages at time of travel)
1. Me, DH, DS3, DS2 and hopefully DBaby who will be
either M or F, hopefully:lmao: (4+1)

2. DMIL and DFIL (2)

3. DBIL and DSIL, DNep.11, DNie.9, DNep. 7 and DNiece 5 (6)
4. possibility of DBIL and DSIL (possible baby....they're trying too:thumbsup2 ) (2+?)

Without #4, I know we'd fit pretty well in a Grand Villa, with them ????

So, I guess what I really need to know is if the Grand Villa's are really worth it? They cost so many points and while we have extra we wanted to use, we just aren't sure that this is the way to go. I need to know that the GV is going to blow my mind. We don't know how many days we are going for yet, but the longer the better.

Please help! All opinions welcome!:thumbsup2

You are correct. Without the last group, you would be twelve plus one. With them you'd need to add a studio or one bedroom.

However, sometimes, a little closeness can be too much. You might be better off getting two two-bedrooms for the entire group.

[BEASLYBOO]

Blow your mind it will! We have family reunions every other year or so and as we enter it's like, OMG. People are blown away and even though it will be my 4th time, I'll be just as blown away as they are. Talk about "WOW" :woohoo:

GV layout is 1 King size bed-Master, 1 Guest room w/ 2 Full Size beds and anothe one w/ 2 Queens, plus a queen sofa bed and a porta crib. It depends on who doesn't mind sleeping with who. You probably need another studio.

We enjoy being together in one big group and who can beat 4 bathrooms!

Enjoy your trip!

[Grandbuddy]

I would definitely try for two 2BRs. If just three family units, a GV would work out fine, and "blow everyone's mind," I would think.

[GGOOFY1]

I have to agree with pp; book 2 two bedroom units.

[Snow Shoe]

We stayed at one of Boardwalks grand villas, #3037 this past Christmas on our points. When we all walked into it for the first time, it had that WOW factor effect on you. You just kind a stand there for a minute soaking it all in. It was AWSOME!!!!! We had the master bedroom, and both boys and their families each had their own bedrooms and baths. Our daugther and friend had the hide a bed in the living room. We ordered groceries in, mainly breakfast and snack foods plus milk. The utility room with the std size waher/dryer was great to have. We didn't have to pack as many clothes because of them. You have so much room, and your not bumping into each other makes a hugh difference, at least for us it did.

If you look at my signature, you'll see a picture of BWV. In the picture, find the tallest building (center right), there are seven red columns just below center right. They appear to be short, but are not. Our GV patio encluded ALL 7 columns. The view was wonderful, and not very much noise form the Boardwalk itself.

If you can afford it, I would recommend getting a GV. It is something that you and your family will never forget!!

[Liljam]

i'm doing GV in 4 weeks:
Sleeping is as follows:
DH, Me, Baby - Master BR
DDa, DB - BR1
DMo, DSDa, DB, DB's BFF - BR2

No one sleeping on the pull out. If we were taking more people, I would have went with studios or 2 2 BR units, because even though the GVs are amazing and will blow said minds, they would probably get crowded too!

For me personally, after having my son for almost 8 weeks now - IF big IF I ever invite my in laws to WDW with us, I may consider even booking them in a different resort :rotfl: Yep, that bad... and I used to love them until his mother (my DMIL) thought I was questioning HER mother skills... Ugh, :lmao: My family is more laid back and all get along well so the GV seems great but like I said, with more people that that, I wouldn't do it. I didn't want to have to put anyone on the pul outs anyway because it's going to be such a common area! BTW, if the inlaws have never been, they would be impressed with even a 1 or 2 BR unit as opposed to "normal" hotel rooms!

[Sue's Mum]

We have stayed in a 2-storey GV at Boardwalk. It certainly did have a WOW factor. My DH and I had the master bedroom on the lower level whilst DD, her DH and DS (then aged 2.5) had the two bedrooms on the upper level. I think our GV must have been on the two floors just above Snow Shoe's villa. There were seveal aspects of our GV about which we were disappointed. Firstly and mainly, it was very noisy at Epcot firework time. The noise reverberated around Crescent Lake and woke our GS every night - he was absolutely terrified. Also, the noise was really too much for us as we are not "noisy" people. Secondly, our GS and his parents were usually awake and in the kitchen and living area before we were awake. Because the floor is wood-blocks we were woken up, although we did not really mind. And the sound of the television whenever it was on needed to be quite low as it became intrusive on the rest of the family. Thirdly, one of the bedrooms upstairs had a lovely balcony which overlooked the living room downstairs. A nice feature but there were no drapes at the window. Consequently, the light from the floor below would light up the bedroom. Next, the kitchen is exactly the same size as a kitchen in a one bedroom unit and there is not much room for even two people to work in there. And lastly, although our balcony was the whole width of the accommodation, it was very narrow - just deep enough for one person. I would much rather have had a more square balcony.

All these things, apart from the fireworks, are only small things and none of them spoilt our enjoyment. But we did decide that, for us, a GV at BW was not the way to go in the future.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u296/Dibber1/DSCN0075.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u296/Dibber1/DSCN0082.jpg

The master bedroom is just to the right when looking at the second photo.

[buzz5985]

My first trip home was to a GV at HHI - talk about being spoiled!! But the GV at HHI aren't as "expensive" as the ones in the World.

We had DH's family with us. Nobody in the living room. We are all close, same interests etc. Could stay up talking all night.

Now this year we are bringing my sister and her family. We decided on two 2 BR's instead. Her DH likes his alone time, his only interests are work and watching TV. So we will let him have it.

You need to know your travel partners.

[ADAMANDLISA]

I really appreciate everyone's opinions on this. I never thought that this decision would be so hard. Man is it hard to part with a couple years worth of points for one small visit, yet...the GV is so very interesting.

The family is very close and we have no problems staying together (groups 1,2, and 3 all live within 5 houses of each other) and more importantly, we will have the huge whirlpool tub with tv to escape to.

Do we know if the GV at Kidani Village will have the pool table? (DH and DFIL are loving this)

[dgaston]

Think the pool table is only in Jambo.

[Sue's Mum]

I think if you are really hankering after a GV you should go for it. Otherwise it will always be a case of "what if ........?"

[Halle]

One reason to get more units rather than a GV is that if someone backs out you aren't losiing/using as any points. We have 4 kids, 3 of which are getting married in the next 8 months (starting Saturday) and have decided that a 2 bedroom and several studios may be the best way to go. We did the Beach Cottage at VB in August and everyone was wowed....so wowed that when we movd onto the BWV we asked the maid who was cleaning a GV if we could take a peek! Wow, wow wow gorgeous.

[Peggy Sue]

Last October we hosted a family reunion at OKW .. We had a Grand Villa and three studios, as we wanted every family to have their own bedroom and bath. There were 8 of us in the GV, and those staying in the studios (6 additional family members) came to the GV for meals, visiting, laundry, etc. Every family had a key to the grand villa and folks came and went all the time.

We've been members since 1997, and last year was our first GV experience. We've always stayed in 1 or 2 bedroom units ..when we walked into the GV ..we were all in awe ..it was HUGE and so comfortable even when all 14 of us were there for meals, etc. Plenty of space to sit, spead out .. Our group was 11 adults, 2 11 year olds and a 9 year old.

We didn't want anyone sleeping in the living room, as we wanted to keep the living area of the GV open for people to enjoy without having to worry if someone was ready to go to bed, wanted to sleep in etc. We were there for 8 days and we also wanted everyone to have a bed, as we felt their ability to get rest, have a place to escape for some quiet and down time was very important. It worked very well, as everyone hated to leave ... they all had a great time, and so did we!

I've never seen the AKL grand villas so cannot comment on how much more space they have than a 2 bedroom. I can say at OKW the GV is much larger than a 2- bedroom in terms of common living space .. plus it has 4 bathrooms! However, the 2-bedrooms at OKW are quite spacious too, with space fo 10-12 to sit between table, couches, chairs etc. with plenty of room on the floor for kids to sit and watch TV...

We had planned for this reunion by banking points and loved sharing DVC with our family ..I would go with what you're comfortable with and what you believe your family would enjoy. I knew individuals families would not want to share rooms when sleeping with other family members.. (we had newly weds, and family members that snored!) but, only you know what your family will tolerate and enjoy ...We wanted to make sure if we to the expense of hosting a reunion we didn't set ourselves up for disappointment with tight sleeping arrangements (tired sleep deprived people = cranky guests!).

We're heading back to a GV this December at OKW with friends ..there will be 6 people ..and we're looking forward to sharing a grand villa with our friends ..can't wait!

Good luck with your decision and have fun planning!!

Peggy

[Nikki_Mouse]

We went with myself, DH, DS8, DD6, my dad, my sister and her thre girls (aged 13, 11, 8) nine people total. When we decided to go I never hesitated on the GV at SSR. It was AWESOME! Everyone had their own room with bathroom- great place. The kids loved it and still talk about how huge it was. I will stay there again one day, but it definitely spoiled us. Go for it- you won't regret it.

[dianeschlicht]

We love the GV's at OKW, and even if you must have people staying in the living room, they still will have their own bathroom in the hall. In fact, that little 3/4 bath is the cutest in all the OKW units! I love the tile in there! One option you might consider to reduce point usage is to get each family unit a studio for the weekend nights, and then all switch to the GV for just Sunday -Friday.

[BEASLYBOO]

We have stayed in a 2-storey GV at Boardwalk. It certainly did have a WOW factor. My DH and I had the master bedroom on the lower level whilst DD, her DH and DS (then aged 2.5) had the two bedrooms on the upper level. I think our GV must have been on the two floors just above Snow Shoe's villa. There were seveal aspects of our GV about which we were disappointed. Firstly and mainly, it was very noisy at Epcot firework time. The noise reverberated around Crescent Lake and woke our GS every night - he was absolutely terrified. Also, the noise was really too much for us as we are not "noisy" people. Secondly, our GS and his parents were usually awake and in the kitchen and living area before we were awake. Because the floor is wood-blocks we were woken up, although we did not really mind. And the sound of the television whenever it was on needed to be quite low as it became intrusive on the rest of the family. Thirdly, one of the bedrooms upstairs had a lovely balcony which overlooked the living room downstairs. A nice feature but there were no drapes at the window. Consequently, the light from the floor below would light up the bedroom. Next, the kitchen is exactly the same size as a kitchen in a one bedroom unit and there is not much room for even two people to work in there. And lastly, although our balcony was the whole width of the accommodation, it was very narrow - just deep enough for one person. I would much rather have had a more square balcony.

All these things, apart from the fireworks, are only small things and none of them spoilt our enjoyment. But we did decide that, for us, a GV at BW was not the way to go in the future.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u296/Dibber1/DSCN0075.jpg

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u296/Dibber1/DSCN0082.jpg

The master bedroom is just to the right when looking at the second photo.

What you need to try is an OKW GV, peace, oh! so peaceful!

[Paticake]

We went in 2004 with 14 people. We were in a 2brm and 3 studios. It gave people a certain amount of privacy and as much as we love our family it was nice to be able to get away from everyone from time to time! Happy planning!

[ADAMANDLISA]

It's great hearing everyone's stories and what worked for some and didn't work for others! I am hoping to find it if group #4 is going or not this week.




One reason to get more units rather than a GV is that if someone backs out you aren't losiing/using as any points. We have 4 kids, 3 of which are getting married in the next 8 months (starting Saturday) and have decided that a 2 bedroom and several studios may be the best way to go. We did the Beach Cottage at VB in August and everyone was wowed....so wowed that when we movd onto the BWV we asked the maid who was cleaning a GV if we could take a peek! Wow, wow wow gorgeous.

3 out of 4 of your children getting married in the next 8 months?!? :scared1:


We love the GV's at OKW, and even if you must have people staying in the living room, they still will have their own bathroom in the hall. In fact, that little 3/4 bath is the cutest in all the OKW units! I love the tile in there! One option you might consider to reduce point usage is to get each family unit a studio for the weekend nights, and then all switch to the GV for just Sunday -Friday.

This is the plan if group #4 doesn't come!:thumbsup2

[WebmasterCricket]

With our recent OKW GV stay we said wow twice, once when we walked in the room saying, "Wow, how spectacular this room is" and once when we left saying, "Wow, I will never EVER stay in one room with that many people again".

Your results may vary.

[dianeschlicht]

With our recent OKW GV stay we said wow twice, once when we walked in the room saying, "Wow, how spectacular this room is" and once when we left saying, "Wow, I will never EVER stay in one room with that many people again".

Your results may vary.

Our experiences with GVs have all been good. Oh sure, there were a couple of glitches with a couple of people, but nothing serious enough to say we would never do it again. In fact, just the opposite! We loved it!

[SleepyatDVC]

There is DEFINITELY the WOW factor to the GV. We stayed in an OKW GV and also had 2 separate studios in 2004 for my DD's then 5th birthday family reunion bash. We had 13 family members (including us) and 4 friends (in the studio).

My kids still remember and ask when we are going back to our "house" at Disney 4 years later. :rolleyes1

I must admit that I booked the GV for selfish reasons because "I" wanted to stay in one. In the end, like WebmasterCricket, I vowed "never again" at least with those family members. EVERYONE hung out in the GV and it was crowded and noisy with all the kids and adults.

It took 3 days before DH was fuming at his own family and threatening to "throw them all out" (only to me of course).

The funny thing is that MIL and FIL has been hinting (more than 2-3 times) about another such family reunion. There has been 4 additions to the family since that trip.

I have NO problems springing for the points. Even though time has blunted all the old scars and we no longer are vowing never again, we are not actively planning it either. It's one of those if all the stars align kind of things. It's hard enough when all the kids have different school schedules.

DH told his parents, that the family is welcome anytime, but the trips will have to be according to our vacation schedule. And if anyone wants to go just ask us when we are planning our next trips and we will try to work it out. He told them WE are not issuing invitations and making it a "mandatory" family vacation because WDW is expensive (even if the lodging is free) for his siblings' larger families and he wouldn't obligate anyone to spend that kind of money if they don't want to.

Sorry to be so long-winded but the bottom line is if we ever do a family reunion with DH's family again, we will either get multiple 2-bedrooms or if we do spring for the GV, we will get a separate 1-bedroom for US so that we have a quiet sanctuary to retreat from all of them. :rolleyes:

Good luck with the planning!

[lsutigger2]

We had a GV at OKW in Nov 06. Loved it! Cast was me, DH, DB, DSil, two nieces, one nephew in law, and one very cute 15 month old. My plan was for everyone to have their own bed and bath, with no one on the sofa. There was plenty of room. It did create a really good WOW factor. We arrived on Sun and left on Friday, points were only 190. Cheaper than some other dvc trips we've taken. Have you thought about the time of year you want to go?

Enjoy your planning. have a wonderful trip.

[ADAMANDLISA]

While September is our favorite time to go, we will have to go in October due to everyone else's schedules. CHOICE time..still not bad, but 73 points a night for AK GV?!? :scared1: Why, oh why was I born so cheap?!? I know that OKW would be so much cheaper, but have you seen the AK GV's ...wow!

[dianeschlicht]

While September is our favorite time to go, we will have to go in October due to everyone else's schedules. CHOICE time..still not bad, but 73 points a night for AK GV?!? :scared1: Why, oh why was I born so cheap?!? I know that OKW would be so much cheaper, but have you seen the AK GV's ...wow!

It all depends on your home resort, and you obviously have enough AKV points to swing it, so I say go for it. If you really look at it, the choice season isn't all that different from Adventure.

[Cruelladeville]

I would go for the GV, and leave some family home!:laughing: :laughing: Seriously, some of them may cancel, so a GV would be comfortable. We stayed in an OKW GV with 6 girls and 3 guys, and we had enough bathrooms for everyone! That was 2 years ago, and this year we are going just with our kids and their families, so every family has their own room during Christmas-New Years vacation. We cleared out our points for 3 years!:scared1: But I am so excited about it!:)