Am I seeing this correctly? Re: The new GFV?

[JimMIA]

The guiodes were asked about this when we were touring and they said it was determined based on guest feedback that people preferred more living and sleeping space to an additional bathroom and so that was the decision made. I would guess that the plan going forward is no extra bathroom unless they get a ton of comments about this.

That's what they always say when they make an unpopular decision. It's never "It was cheaper" or "We made a stupid mistake."

It's always the guests' fault.

 

[bobbiwoz]

I like the shower stall in the studio. They are easier for me to use than a shower in a tub. I am on the fence.

 

[DougEMG]

Not only is it cheaper not to include that extra bathroom, for those that really need it, they have to move to a large room and use more points, so a win-win for Disney and a lose-lose for large families.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

The guiodes were asked about this when we were touring and they said it was determined based on guest feedback that people preferred more living and sleeping space to an additional bathroom and so that was the decision made. I would guess that the plan going forward is no extra bathroom unless they get a ton of comments about this.

I also don't believe that for a second. The guides have just come up with a response for what is an unpopular plan decision at VGF. At least it's unpopular with us.

When we toured BLT we asked about why they placed the sink in the kitchenette in the studios. At that time the "feedback" was that at least 1/2 of the people liked it a LOT. Funny how DVC then went thru the expense to change it.

But the oddest part to me is the decision to increase the occupancy in the studios to be the same as the 1BR's and to give the studios more bath space - ie a second shower - than the 1BR's. It's the second things with VGF where DVC seems to not be maximizing their sales opportunities. With studios being either the most or 2nd most popular booking category I think it's going to skyrocket at VGF especially with the point creep there.

Not only is it cheaper not to include that extra bathroom, for those that really need it, they have to move to a large room and use more points, so a win-win for Disney and a lose-lose for large families.

Not necessarily. They could also move down to a studio and get more showers.

 

[alicat07]

I would consider staying in the studios especially with the 2 showers. But for a 1 br I'll stick to kidani or BLT. I really hope they don't do poly like this, I am really looking forward to that one and would hope they hear this feedback now about VGF and reconsider the extra bathroom!

 

[rlovew]

And if you have been in it the strangest thing to me is the shower is so huge I think an double air mattress would probably fit in it with room to spare. It is a really different layout for the bathroom areas.

 

[VrBchJ]

I so appreciate the extra bathroom. I was very tempted to add on at VGF but this was one of the reasons I decided against it. That being said, it is a really beautiful resort.

 

[cwdefouw]

Agreed; I don't think they really asked. It costs more money to put an additional bathroom in and as Disney was planning they probably knew that people would flock to this resort despite being inconvenienced by having one less bathroom in the villa. They spend less and yet they make more money. Brilliant on their part; disappointing for those who have larger families.......

We have a B-I-N-G-O


DVC is famous for claiming their changes are the result of member feedback, but of course, they never are. Any changes they make are the result of only one thing... The desire to get more for less. Sad but true.

 

[luckyman_apd]

I would be more inclined to pick a studio here than a 1 br anywhere else. As a family of four with the extra bunk, each kid gets their own bed, and the extra shower is a big plus for getting ready.

 

[wdrl]

If anyone has toured the VGF one-bedroom model, you'll know that the shower stall is large enough to hold a dozen people, if not more.

If not having a second bathroom in a one-bedroom is such a deal breaker for VGF, then I guess BLT and AKV-Kidani will become even more popular in the future. Of course, not having an extra bathroom hasn't really hurt BWV or BCV all that much. Keep in mind there are many factors that come into play when Members decide which resorts they want to stay at. The number of bathrooms might be high on the list for some, but location, theming, square footage, point costs, etc., all come into play.

I don't think DVD's decision about the number of bathrooms was based primarily on cost. Keep in mind whatever costs incurred by DVD in the construction of a new resort will be generally passed on to the buyers in the form of more points/higher point costs/higher prices. Also, any additional yearly maintenance fees, upkeep, and housekeeping costs will be borne by the membership and not by DVD.

 

[n2mm]

I too was surprised with the lack of extra bathroom. That is a plus for us.

 

[Sammie]

I never buy those bogus "feedback" claims mentioned by sales persons. I am unaware of any survey done to gain such feedback on number of bathrooms and if there were such a survey someone on these boards would likely have been contacted and reported it. Large numbers of members don't just wake up one morning and decide, "Hey, I going to call DVD and let them know I prefer more space in the 1BR rather than the extra bathroom," so such "feedback" did not occur via that method and, if it actually exists, there would have been a real survey to determine it.

Moreover as far as space goes, the VGF 1BRs are going to be 50 sq ft larger than BLT or AKV and thus could easily have included another bathroom and still be more spacious than AKV or BLT. My guess is that it really was a cost decision.

It is very possible that current members were not surveyed but prospective new members interested only in the Grand Floridian were.

Just because one does not read something on the DIS, does not mean it does not exist.

 

[tchrrx]

We're a family of 3, but we love having two bathrooms! We were shocked when we visited Vero Beach and only had one bathroom. Our trips to BLT have spoiled us!

 

[BUDDYBEAR]

WHAT ARE THEY THINKING ???

 

[Tink-n-Belle]

I love the 2 bathrooms too! I own at the BLT and BW and always do split stays and I do miss that extra bath when I stay at the BW along with the extra bed. DD's are teens and that don't like sleeping in same bed. Although one has no problem sleeping with me on the king size one.

 

[El&Asmom]

I could be wrong, but I thought Aulani was similar. Especially with the high point costs there, we have to stay in a 1bd, but with 3 daughters, 1 bath would be a pain. Since that would likely be a once or twice in their childhood kind of trip, we would likely spring for the 2bd.

It's definitely a downfall for a family of 5 who likes to stay in 1bds to only have the one bath. We only have 210 pts w no desire to buy more at this time so we like to spread our points as far as we can and 1bd help us do that.

I agree that this was a cost decision. Lets also not forget that it is likely more time consuming for Mousekeeping to clean the extra bath rather than "more living space". As my BIL always says, when something doesn't make sense, follow the $.

 

[lodge]

I, for one, always seem to leave toiletries behind when there is more than one bathroom.

We prefer a separate WC (water closet) for reasons that shall be left unspoken.

 

[DPCummerbund]

Not necessarily. They could also move down to a studio and get more showers.

This, to me, is the kicker about the cost issue. If Disney really cut the extra bathroom from the 1 bedroom because of cost, why did they ADD a second shower to the studio? Wouldn't the same cost decision apply there too?

My only guess is that they don't think families of 5 will really "downgrade" from a BLT / Kidani one bedroom to a VGF studio. Sure, with two showers and the Murphy bed, it looks like the studio will be a good value for a family of 5. But don't forget that the room itself is smaller than other DVC studios, and that extra shower takes up a lot of space. Plus, with the Murphy bed, now there's no clothing storage. So, while a VGF studio looks good on paper, my feeling is that once people see the studio & how small it is, they won't try to cram a family of 5 in there.

 

[SCDizneyDawn]

I guess we are the minority but we don't need the extra bathroom. We tend to stay two of us in a 1br or 4 of us in a 2br. Two couples, no kids. I did like the extra towels and soaps from the extra bath, but we never used it!
I know it has to be much better for people that use the living room as a third sleeping space. We tried that once and did not like having it be a sleeping space in addition to the living space. But that was with three families in a 2br, not one family spread out in both rooms of the 1br.

I hope that if enough people tell DVC that they like the 3 bath setup they will return to it in the future!

 

[Sammie]

I guess we are the minority but we don't need the extra bathroom. We tend to stay two of us in a 1br or 4 of us in a 2br. Two couples, no kids. I did like the extra towels and soaps from the extra bath, but we never used it!
I know it has to be much better for people that use the living room as a third sleeping space. We tried that once and did not like having it be a sleeping space in addition to the living space. But that was with three families in a 2br, not one family spread out in both rooms of the 1br.

I hope that if enough people tell DVC that they like the 3 bath setup they will return to it in the future!

We don't use it either, as we don't use the living room as a sleeping area, as we don't do that at home.

I really think they probably know their target audience in new buyers and that is who this was done for.