Advice about changing rooms mid-trip...

[MicheleC]

We have been DVC owners for 3 years now and have always stayed at BWV 1-bedroom and we are so spoiled by it. Last month we stayed 6 nights for 190 points, which is most of our points used up. I don't think I actually every realized how much the point difference is between the stuios and the 1-bedrooms, especially Fri and Sat nights. I realized we could probably stay 5 nights in a studio in addition to 4 or 5 more nights in a 1-bedroom for the same number of points. One problem is we are so spoiled by the 1-bedroom now that I feel like a studio would feel so small. The second problem is...it must be such a pain to pack up and move rooms mid-trip.

Any advice? I've read other posters that routinely visit two different hotels or room types in 1 trip.

Thanks!

 

[melk]

We just did this last week (switched from a 1-br to a studio the last two nights) and I would not recommend it. First off, you are spoiled if you have already been in a 1-bedroom. The extra space is just awesome and you really do miss it. And second, yes, it is a pain to pack up and move mid-trip. We felt as though we lost valuable time in our trip packing up and then unpacking again. Hopefully we'll never have to do it again.

 

[spiceycat]

we are going to be doing this next week - 1 day in a studio - 4 days in a 1-bedroom, then 4 day is a studio -

the 1-bedroom is at OKW, the studio is at VWL - the studio is weekend, the 1-bedroom is weekdays -

I really think that the points difference - will make up for the smaller studios - and who cares - with MK so close.

 

[maddy]

I think the answer to this lies in a combination of style of travel and points. We often move during a trip. We are interested in saving points and tasting the atmosphere of different resorts. We have some time honored rules for moving. We pack light (with a 1 bedroom you can do laundry in the room), and we use bell services to move our luggage from resort to resort or put it in the car and have the next resort store it until check in. There was a great thread some time ago on the least disruptive way to move from resort to resort. And we always start at the least luxurious and move up; we did it the other way around once and never recovered from the "downgrade".
So, for us, the savings of points, our style of travel, and the enjoyment of other resorts all make it worth it to move. However, it's totally an individual thing.
Maddy

 

[DisneyPhD]

We got this idea from reading on this board and decided to add on an extra night on to our trip March 1-7. By booking Friday and Saturday night at a studio and the rest of the week 1 bedroom we added on one extra day, got cheaper airfare (not flying on a saturday) and only used 4 more points.

However this is the our first DVC trip and I haven't tried this before. Let you know how it works when I get back


Good luck. To us it is worth it to get exta days out of the trip. Depends on what is more important to you.

 

[SamR]

And we always start at the least luxurious and move up; we did it the other way around once and never recovered from the "downgrade".

We have changed resorts mid-trip a couple of times, and I think the "direction" of the move (upgrade vs. downgrade) is one of the key issues. If you "step down" from a 1- or 2-bedroom to a studio, you may really feel like the vacation experience just dropped a notch. However, if you first stay in the studio, you will have the initial excitement of arriving and settling into Disney World to carry you through the first few days, along with the anticipation of moving up to more luxurious accommodations as yet something else to look forward to.

Of course, the other key issue is the hassle of the actual move day with the unpack/pack/unpack cycle, the luggage handling, and the check-out/check-in. Opinions vary on how much of a hassle this is, not only on this board, but even within my own family. My wife views it as a major hassle. I, on the other hand, agree with Maddy's opinion that with smart packing/unpacking and judicious use of Bell Services that it is really not that much work, and may be well worth it to save some points, or to experience a different resort.

One other potential negative point: If you plan to make significant use of the full kitchen in the 1- or 2-bedroom villa, you may want to make a grocery stop on the way in for supplies. While Bell Services will store your food appropriately on the move day, if your plans call for much in the way of frozen food, you will likely have a problem due to limited freezer space in the studio refrigerator. This could prompt a need to pick up the frozen supplies after the move date, which would present a problem to those without a car on site.

 

[jcodespoti]

There are many variables to switching rooms. I think the only time I like to switch rooms is for another resort (i.e BW to VWL) other wise I lioke to stay put. The airfare thing is also pretty important as well. I really don't like to pack up and move so I try to use the 1 BR most of the time and stay only in one room.


Joe in CT

 

[WDWguruDH]

We just did this, a couple suggestions:
First, as stated above, upgrade - start with the smaller room, then move to the larger. Thus you aren't feeling the pain of loosing the extra space, plus you can do your grocery shopping on the move day and not worry about melting food. Plus the first couple days, the excitement will keep you out of the room more and thus the room doesn't matter as much.
Second, this may seem a little excessive, but I generally over think everything - pack two(or more) suit cases. Plan one to have they stuff you need in the first room(including bathroom items) and the second will have the items for the rest of the stay. This way you only unpack and repack one suit case, not all your stuff. This obviously depends on how long the stay is and how often you want to do wash.