(2) Studios or (1) 2-Bedroom?

[ecna]

This shouldn't be a heated occupancy discussion... I'm putting 5 in a room for 8 either way.

For a family of 5... 2 boys (12 & 9) and a girl (4), I was thinking of getting two studios instead of the 2-bedroom. I'd save 59 points.

I don't think we'd really use the kitchen, so it seems like wasted space.

Can you book two studios next to each other? Do they connect? Any pros or cons I'm not thinking of?

It just seems like the 2-bedroom is so much space with the kids small.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

You can't get two studios that connect. You could request them to be next to or near each other but that doesn't guarantee it. One nice thing about the 2BR is that you'd have a washer/dryer.

HBC

 

[lizziepooh]

With 2 studios, you would have to split up and put one adult in each room, since no studios connect. They could be down the hall from each other or they could even be on different floors. At OKW we requested "close" and the units were in separate buildings although just across the parking lot. Personally, I would go with the 2 bedroom for convenience with 3 kids.

 

[Tinkerdreams]

The 2 bedrooms are nice for the washer/dryer and the tub.

 

[Doctor P]

I agree. For your family, a two bedroom seems to better meet your needs and will allow the family to stay together.

 

[spiceycat]

when your oldest is 18 - then go with 2 studios -until then a 2-bedroom. Unless you don't mind not sleeping with your spouse.

there must be a person 18 or older in each resort room/villa.

 

[Pennyguy23]

Couldn't say it better then spiceycat.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

Another vote for the 2 bedroom. You get 3 rooms rather than 2 (one being the living/dining area).

That extra living space will particularly come in handy if you have some kids sleeping while others are awake.

We have 4 kids (12, 10, 4, and 1--add a year to each for our next trip), and they'll all sleep in the same room, but we don't expect the older two to have the same sleep schedule as the younger two.

Added bonus that there's a king bed and a whirlpool tub in the MBR.

 

[dis-happy]

We always book our family of 5 into a 1 b/r. MS allows it.

 

[ecna]

Thanks to everybody for the responses. Clearly the two bedroom is better, but I didn't think the extra amenities were that important. If I could get two adjoining studios, I probably would have given it a shot.

dis-happy... I was 5 in a 1br on our last trip. I know it's allowed and it worked out fine for us, but it seems to be a hot topic and we were looking for a few more "real" beds.

Thanks again,
Eric

 

[jodifla]

Thanks to everybody for the responses. Clearly the two bedroom is better, but I didn't think the extra amenities were that important. If I could get two adjoining studios, I probably would have given it a shot.

dis-happy... I was 5 in a 1br on our last trip. I know it's allowed and it worked out fine for us, but it seems to be a hot topic and we were looking for a few more "real" beds.

Thanks again,
Eric

Well, we put 3 in a 2 bedroom, so we're a bit spoiled, but for us, the living room is key. DS goes to bed, and parents stay up with a nice bottle of wine and reconnect!

 

[MinMouse]

The two bedroom will also give you three tvs . . . one for each kid!

 

[dianeschlicht]

A 1 bedroom is possible with that number, but you will still only have 1 bathroom. I woudl DEFINITELY do the 2 bedroom to have the extra bathroom, even if you don't 'need' the kitchen, it is really nice to have the extra space for down time. If you do OKW, you will have 3 real beds too! That means everyone could have their own, if one doesn't mind the pullout.

 

[Anal Annie]

You didn't say where you were planning to stay. How about booking a 1 bedroom at AKV - the Std. views & the Savanna views both sleep 5 & you could have 2 bathrooms! I should think that would still be a point savings over booking a 2 bedroom and you'd get the washer & dryer?!

 

[ecna]

Annie,

My home is SSR, so I'll be booking it next week at 11 months. I thought about AKL just for that reason, but I have to admit, I really like staying at SSR. At 7 months, I might try to switch somewhere else, but there's no place I'm dying to stay.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I thought of that, too, after I posted.

FTR, though, I'm currently booked for August in BCV, my home resort. But, at the 7 month window, we're going to switch the first 3 nights to be at AKL, just to try it out. So, when I did my 11-month booking, I asked about availability at AKL, and was told that there would be 2BRs avaiable (or at least, that there were at that time, for 7 months down the road).

While technically, we could fit in a 1BR (5+one under three), that would get crowded for us. Last summer, we booked a 2BR suite at Residence Inn, and the kids loved it. It was smaller than DVC, but even that didn't seem like a lot of space! You may like having the space more than you realize--when we were 5 in a room at the Poly (with 1 under 3), it definitely felt very cramped.

Obviously, YMMV.

 

[Deb & Bill]

You didn't say where you were planning to stay. How about booking a 1 bedroom at AKV - the Std. views & the Savanna views both sleep 5 & you could have 2 bathrooms! I should think that would still be a point savings over booking a 2 bedroom and you'd get the washer & dryer?!

Aren't the one bedrooms with two bathrooms only in Kidani Village? I could be wrong, though. Kidani Village won't open until 2009.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...While technically, we could fit in a 1BR (5+one under three), that would get crowded for us. ....

I don't think you can get six in a one bedroom. It's either four plus one under the age of three OR five with no additional bedding for the fifth person. Unless you are talking about AKV. You might be allowed six in a one bedroom as long as one is under three.

 

[Anal Annie]

Aren't the one bedrooms with two bathrooms only in Kidani Village? I could be wrong, though. Kidani Village won't open until 2009.

Oh. I don't know. I guess I assumed they did. I wasn't thinking about the differences between Kidani & Jambo I guess. The model we went thru had the 2 bathrooms so it didn't occur to me that they all wouldn't. I'm sure LisaS would know for sure. If they don't all have 2 bathrooms then they should adjust the point structure to reflect the number of bathrooms you get too! Otherwise, people who get to stay in Kidani by luck of the draw would be getting more bang for their bucks!

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I don't think you can get six in a one bedroom. It's either four plus one under the age of three OR five with no additional bedding for the fifth person. Unless you are talking about AKV. You might be allowed six in a one bedroom as long as one is under three.

Yes, I was thinking the 1BR at AKL. But we figured we shouldn't be "cheap", just because we could technically do it. You know how it goes, you sit there and figure points for every which way so you can be in WDW as long as possible! But I think it's a false economy-we'd be tripping over each other, and it gets old, having to tiptoe around because someone is sleeping. We bought the points so we could have the extra room. An extra couple of days could feel like a lifetime if the kids are bickering and the toddler is overtired!