Talk me into a Studio

[nyck]

Buy more points so you can go more often and don't have to stay in a studio!

This is the option I would do! LOL I don't like staying in studios, that feels like a hotel. I like 1 and 2 bedrooms, THAT feels like a villa. I love going to Disney and having that kind of space. If I stayed in a studio I might as well go to the moderate resorts.

 

[spiceycat]

Buy more points so you can go more often and don't have to stay in a studio!

would love too - but retired and on fixed income. been trying to get a job - but don't want office work - since did it for 37 years - and either the employers don't believe me - or seem to think I would quit....

 

[spruce]

Just get a studio and know that a one bedroom is in your future. Always remember, you're at Disney, the place that makes us all eleven.

 

[spruce]

would love too - but retired and on fixed income. been trying to get a job - but don't want office work - since did it for 37 years - and either the employers don't believe me - or seem to think I would quit....

Got to moderate then
and sell your dvc and see how you feel then.

 

[quirty30]

Honestly, if you are spending significant time at the parks, a studio should be fine. Especially if you aren't using the kitchen and aren't worried about the jacuzzi tub. If maximizing your AP is the goal of taking more trips, this seems like a no-brainer.

My family of 3 is me, a teenage boy, and a pre-teen girl. Studios don't really work for us anymore unless I want to share a bed with DD (who I like to call the "thrasher." I could check on her every hour in bed at night and she would be in a different position.) Believe it or not, just the 3 of us are staying in a Treehouse later this summer. Their dad & his wife were going to join us, but cancelled...and knowing we were only planning 2 park days out of 8, I thought it would be nice for us each to have our own bedroom. So I decided to keep the Treehouse. But we'll be spending a lot of time there (and the kids are so excited!)

 

[Hopefully]

We are only 2 adults and we are so spoiled that we always did a one bedroom, and a 2 br when we brought DS and DDiL. I like the full kitchen, and the extra space of the living room. I agree with the "Trip" vs "Vacation" thought.
3 yrs ago we spent 9 nights at Vero. DH wanted an ocean view, and the only guarantee is an Ocean View Inn Room. Although I was very worried, I booked it and found I actually enjoyed it. It was fine, I used the kitchenette for b'fast and sandwiches/snacks and we were fine. I also used the community laundry and that too was fine.
Later that year we snuck in a long w/e trip for F & G which was an added trip and we stayed in a BCV studio. Again I survived.
I have learned that a studio is fine, but I do miss the luxury of the 1 BR.
Good Luck in your decision

 

[kristenrice]

1 split stay, when u go on 7+ day trips. 1st 3-4 nights in a studio for exciting long park days then move up a 1 bedroom for the bal. saves a few points n as long as your going a week+. 1 switch is easy. By the time you need laundry machine... You have it.

and

2 do more trips in a 12 month period using 1.5 yrs of points n skip 12- 18 months n do it again. It is a better use of ap. saves $$ ( do the ap coat per month even vrs the renewal and this is eye opening). It also gets u a trip else where. IE go to DC, Vegas, Atlantis, cruise in between.

This is exactly what we started doing after the point reallocation in 2010. We typically travel for 5 nights. The first two, we do a studio and add a dining plan. Then, we spend those first three days, nearly commando, at the parks. We eat at the more expensive restaurants (using the DP) and spend very little time in the room. Then, we move into a 1BR for the final three nights. By then, we have laundry to do and leftover food we can reheat in our kitchen. If we stay within the same resort (AKV, usually) we just check in to our 1BR, drop our luggage off at Bell Services when we check out of the studio, hit the parks for the day and when we come back, we pick up our luggage and haul it up to the 1BR. It's very simple and since we do have the laudry facilities, we are usually packed fairly light so there's not a lot of packing/unpacking involved.

In Oct 2011, I tried my first studio/1BR split between 2 different resorts. It was just DSiL and I and we split between a LV studio at BLT and a standard 1BR at BWV. We just made our "switch" day our day at Epcot. We dropped our bags at bell services and told them we were checking in to BWV later in the day. We boarded the bus to Epcot and spent the morning touring Future World. At 11, we wandered over to BWV, checked in and then hit the F&W booths at WS. Around 4, we headed to BWV, grabbed our bags and headed up to our room. It was a great split and a great way to save points! Our 5-night stay only cost 105 points!

 

[CocosMeme]

Buy more points so you can go more often and don't have to stay in a studio!

I was tempted when the GF came up, but we already own 600 pts and the MF's would hurt if I added on enough pts to make it worth it!
We stay in a 1 bedroom when DH and I go - like the extra room and DH is a napper (I am not). I also like the laundry since we always stay at least a week. When I go with 1 grandchild I get a studio since I usually only stay 5 days with them. I have a 1 bedroom this August for my stay with 3 grandson's and myself at BLT. I am giving them the bedroom (with a blow up twin bed for 1 of them) and I am taking the sleeper sofa. A 1 bedroom will spoil you for sure! But, I do agree if you are a day long park person and don't spend much time in the room you could probably get by with a studio and get extra trips.

 

[kenny]

We do both. We are a family of 4. We do a 1br every year for 8 nights. Have Aps so always make the next trip I'm 12 months to get moneys worth. Then depending on when we go and our schedule for the year some years add a 2nd trip in a studio.

Not sure i would want every trip in a studio but as an extra it is fine

Then again if it means more trips you could always sway me. Lol. More time in the world, less at work is always good!

 

[pouncingpluto]

We're 1-bedroom people, and we were even before we had our daughter. It just feels so luxurious to us. Hotel rooms are fine for 1-3 night trips, but for a real vacation (unless it's a cruise!), we like more space than that. DD is 2 now, and it will be interesting to see how it goes this December, for her first trip on the pullout couch instead of the pack n play! We don't have plans to move up to 2-bedrooms anytime soon -- or maybe ever.

 

[spiceycat]

Got to moderate then
and sell your dvc and see how you feel then.

no - dvc is paid for - so it is really cheaper than staying at a value or moderate.

go alot. especially now ,with the values over $100 - that is out of my budget,

 

[jillmc40]

We went to Orlando when our dd was 2 and I was pg with DS. We stayed in a studio timeshare in a Marriott. We quickly realized that "vacationing" in a studio is not possible for us anymore. Whispering, waiting to turn on the tv, someone flushes the toilet and the baby wakes up, no thank you! We bought a 2 bedroom at Marriott while we were there - that is how frustrated we were - they saw us coming

Now we have 2 kids. We like to use our Marriott for the week, then we transfer to a place on site. Anywhere the kids want since it is only 2-3 nights. We also get ap's and go Easter - Fall - Easter. Then we skip a year and do it again. For the fall trip we stay on property and I could deal with a studio, it is only a couple of nights. If it were any longer than 3 days in a studio I fear we would not all survive

We did just buy VGF. DD and I seem to love staying at the "white hotel" as she calls it, and so we will do that for the fall and AK (DS's favorite) probably at Easter time. But I do love having the space, and the kitchen. It makes you feel like you are at home

Thank you to the pp for the idea of studio then moving to 1 bed...That is a fantastic idea!!!

 

[dwelty]

I'm sure our fellow Dis board members over on the non DVC resorts board would get a kick out of this discussion. The fact is that most families that stay on Disney property stay in accommodations that are the same size, or in many cases, smaller than a studio and have a great vacation. We have a lot of points and have stayed in everything from a grand villa to a studio and looking back, I cannot recall the enjoyment of the trip being closely related to the size of the accommodations. We are a family of 4.

 

[dbs1228]

OP you think you have it bad - we are a family of 5 so we bought to stay in 2 bedrooms when the whole family goes. The mistake we made was getting the GV at BLT now I am trying to decide how I will go back to the 2 bedroom!

Seriously we bought dvc for larger accommodations and when we bought I always said even if its just DH and I it will have to be a 1 bedroom! We DO eat in at least 2 meals a day and usually like to take breaks from the parks mid afternoon so the room/space is a huge part of our vacation!

Let us know what you decide

 

[MichiganDVC]

We usually do 1BR as a splurge or on longer trips. My favorite trip was a 1BR Boardwalk View at BWV for 3 nights, then 2 nights at BLT in a LV studio. I agree with the PPs who suggested splitting your nights between the two rooms, but also taking that as an opportunity to change resorts! ) I prefer 1BR first as we can bring down food to stock fridge in our luggage. Yes, I've packed a "frozen" suitcase before. Then, we can do our laundry the last night there before moving to a studio. And since you're changing resorts, you don't have the same let-down of going from a 1BR to a studio...

 

[MoreTravels]

I don't think it was mentioned yet in this thread....

I don't know about the other couples. I like to relax during our vacation... that includes physical intimacy with my partner.

Having a child or another family member in the same studio room is simply not pratical.

My ideal vacation, enjoy California Grill romantic dinner with partner and children, then return to BLT LV room to watch fireworks, then put children to sleep in the living room sofa bed, then return to the bedroom to soak in 2-person jaccuzzi, then

How can you do that with children in your room sleeping next to you? With the lights off and no sound? Sorry, you need to have 1BR if you are travelling with children.

 

[Kimmielee]

We are local... So we stay often. One child and being mostly weekend trips we tend to create our own magic before and after our trip. This gives us the opportunity to stay once a month for a Friday/Saturday studio. With that said... We can't come every month... So we are just starting to splurge on the 1 bedroom every now and then. I hope it doesn't spoil me!!! If we were staying longer than a weekend then I will also book a 1 bedroom to take advantage of the kitchen!!! Looking forward to next month where we splurged on a GV at SSR and invited local friends to come enjoy a relaxing, non- Disney stay for the weekend!!!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[rpk1951]

Just back from an 8 day trip. We had three families. Room 1, two adults and 15 month old, room two, two adults and two girls 3 &5, room three two adults and boy 7. All three were stusios. The families were together all day and most nights. Between late parks and swimming, the kids went straight to sleep. All adults were able to watch TV and talk. I heard no complaints. We have used one bedrooms in the past and decided to try all studios to see how it would be. The group voted upon return home that it worked great. In the future we will likely do a mix to extend points. We also had annual passes.

 

[DougEMG]

We're a family of three with a DD18. Normally we do a 1B, but the last trip was in a studio over Easter. We went with the studio to save on the points and while it was okay, we've decided to stick with 1B whenever there is 3 of us, but for 2 the studio would be great. In the 1B we don't use the kitchen much, but do like having more space, more TVs and seperate rooms for everyone to sleep in (especially king size bed).

I think one big factor is how long the trip is for. For short trips I don't mind a studio, but for longer trips the 1B is really nice.