Anyone ever stay in a villa

[reneempayne]

and not liked it. We have a 2BR villa booked at VWL and are wondering if we should have booked 2 seperate rooms at Polynesian. Any thoughts?

 

[ccigliano]

The 2 bedroom villa will be so spacious with the master bedroom king size bed and master bath with jacuzzi tub that there will be no comparison to the two hotel rooms you'd get at the Poly. Granted you won't be cooking but it is nice to get up in the morning to brew a pot of coffee in your full size kitchen and relax on the balcony. Bringing along breakfast items like oatmeal and bagels is great for those of us who eat breakfast with our PJs on. If you can find the actual layout for the 2 bedroom villa you'll see there is no comparison. The WLV is also my favorite resort. Enjoy!!!

 

[reneempayne]

thanks for reassuring me. I am on the phone putting my deposit down now. I know I can always change, but it is like the only 2BR left for the whole summer so I didn't want to give it up. I just think the convenience of the monorail would be so nice. I'm sure no matter where we are we will love it!

 

[ccigliano]

For me - the monorail isn't such a big issue as I truly love the boat ride from the WL to the MK - it is so peaceful and relaxing. It takes just a few minutes and you're there and a boat arrives at least every 10 minutes. If you want to go to the Contemporary for a dinner reservation or to catch the monorail those smaller boats come by at least every 15 minutes if not sooner as well as boats to the Fort Wilderness campgrounds. I love to walk on the nature trail from the WL to the FW in the morning as you see all the critters running around including deer and turkeys . I think you will definitely like the ambiance of the WL and the WOW effect of the lobby. The villas are attached by a covered walkway to the right of the lodge if you are facing the lake. Have a great vacation!

 

[homedad]

being a DVC owner and staying at the WL before joining and last Sept having our first DVC trip at BWV...I totally agree with other poster that the extra room is well worth it. Another bonus is w/d so you can pack lighter!!!!!!

 

[brergnat]

I'm going to dissent.

I SERIOUSLY considered booking a 2br villa for our first family trip (first for the kids, not DH and I). I went back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, I read something on here that cemented how I felt about it. The person made a comment that the villas felt like an apartment/condo...too much like home. The person said something to the effect of "when I'm on vacation, I want to stay in a HOTEL, not an apartment." This is exactly how I was feeling about the DVC villas...but I couldn't put my finger on it until I read this and I said to myself "that's EXACTLY how I feel!"

I even have the DVC book that they send to prospective buyers (because we were....) I look at those pictures, and while the villas are all really nice, they really truly remind me too much of my apartment that I live in here. Like, the 2br is almost exactly the way my old apartment was confirgured, and very similar to the way our 3br current apartment is.

I want vacation to feel "different" from being at home. I don't want my kids to be playing with the appliances in the kitchen (opening and climbing in the dishwasher, oven, etc) because I don't have baby gates to block it off. I don't want them to wake up in the middle of the night and (unbeknownst to us) decide to climb up on the bathroom counter and play with the water.

In our house, we have it "child proofed" with appliance locks and baby gates and doorknob covers (our kids are only 2 and 3 now). We won't have all that stuff over there and I DON'T want our kids to feel "at home". A hotel room provides us more control over what they can/can't get "into", and less chance for them to really hurt themselves or damage property.

Plus, a hotel is "exotic" to them. It's a new experience, and part of vacation, to me, is experiencing new things unlike your everyday. For that reason, we booked at the Poly, and chose the 1br Princess Suite. We did want a separate living area to watch t/v while the kids napped/slept at night, but we didn't want the kids sleeping away from us (too far). We originally had 2 rooms at Poly booked, but since they cannot guarantee connecting, we switched to the suite. The price of the suite is very close to the price of the 2br DVC villa, but it also includes concierge, so that will be a lot of money we will save on food (we are all light eaters, and can do very well in concierge levels with regards to "making meals" out of the food offered). It works out better for us this way. We have the monorail which the kids will love and the beach, fireworks viewing from our room, the zero entry pool, and the awesome restaurants at Poly (my favorites on property). Plus, there seems to be more going on for kids at the Poly (namely, the free activities in the kids clubs from 1-4pm...) And, the Poly is WORLDS away form our "everyday" experience at home. We'll likely never go to Hawaii, but the Poly is very close, so I know the kids will love the theme/feeling there.

 

[LoraJ]

Well my condo doesn't have a jacuzzi tub, so I think I'll love it.

 

[alldiz]

You will love the WL and you'll be very happy with the 2BR.....
becareful...you might just buy DVC
Kerri

 

[shellybaxter]

I'm going to dissent.

I SERIOUSLY considered booking a 2br villa for our first family trip (first for the kids, not DH and I). I went back and forth, back and forth.

Finally, I read something on here that cemented how I felt about it. The person made a comment that the villas felt like an apartment/condo...too much like home. The person said something to the effect of "when I'm on vacation, I want to stay in a HOTEL, not an apartment." This is exactly how I was feeling about the DVC villas...but I couldn't put my finger on it until I read this and I said to myself "that's EXACTLY how I feel!"

I even have the DVC book that they send to prospective buyers (because we were....) I look at those pictures, and while the villas are all really nice, they really truly remind me too much of my apartment that I live in here. Like, the 2br is almost exactly the way my old apartment was confirgured, and very similar to the way our 3br current apartment is.

I want vacation to feel "different" from being at home. I don't want my kids to be playing with the appliances in the kitchen (opening and climbing in the dishwasher, oven, etc) because I don't have baby gates to block it off. I don't want them to wake up in the middle of the night and (unbeknownst to us) decide to climb up on the bathroom counter and play with the water.

In our house, we have it "child proofed" with appliance locks and baby gates and doorknob covers (our kids are only 2 and 3 now). We won't have all that stuff over there and I DON'T want our kids to feel "at home". A hotel room provides us more control over what they can/can't get "into", and less chance for them to really hurt themselves or damage property.

Plus, a hotel is "exotic" to them. It's a new experience, and part of vacation, to me, is experiencing new things unlike your everyday. For that reason, we booked at the Poly, and chose the 1br Princess Suite. We did want a separate living area to watch t/v while the kids napped/slept at night, but we didn't want the kids sleeping away from us (too far). We originally had 2 rooms at Poly booked, but since they cannot guarantee connecting, we switched to the suite. The price of the suite is very close to the price of the 2br DVC villa, but it also includes concierge, so that will be a lot of money we will save on food (we are all light eaters, and can do very well in concierge levels with regards to "making meals" out of the food offered). It works out better for us this way. We have the monorail which the kids will love and the beach, fireworks viewing from our room, the zero entry pool, and the awesome restaurants at Poly (my favorites on property). Plus, there seems to be more going on for kids at the Poly (namely, the free activities in the kids clubs from 1-4pm...) And, the Poly is WORLDS away form our "everyday" experience at home. We'll likely never go to Hawaii, but the Poly is very close, so I know the kids will love the theme/feeling there.

So did you ever actually stay in a villa? It doesn't sound like you did. I used to feel a lot like you - until my first trip with a villa. The things I thought I'd "hate" on vacation (washer and dryer, full kitchen - I'm not cooking) were the things I ended up LOVING about the villa. We travel for at least 10 days at a time and I refuse to take time out to go to the laundry mat so I was trying to pack for 10 days. With and washer and dryer right in the room I can pack for 4 or 5 days and just throw a load in the washer when we get back to the room and in the dryer before we go to bed - wonderful. I also love the tub and the fact that we always get a king bed. If we have to stay in a regular hotel room now I get kind of sad.

 

[eliza61]

While the villas can remind one of an apartment, the extra room would quickly have me getting over that.

 

[reneempayne]

You will love the WL and you'll be very happy with the 2BR.....
becareful...you might just buy DVC
Kerri

My parents are coming/paying for this trip (Christmas! Lucky us!) I am already working on them to buy DVC. I told them they would never have to buy us a present again! She said if DVC would pay for this trip she'd be in! I want her to buy @ Kingdom Towers. Then we get the best of both worlds...a villa and the monorail! I doubt it will happen. We don't own a house and have 1 child in private school, so I can't justify buying it myself. Maybe I can win 1 in a Year of a Million Dreams!!!!

 

[auroraarielella]

We just did a split stay between a 1br at BWV and two connecting rooms at CBR. Boy, you should have heard my spoiled family when they saw CBR. You would think I took them to the Motel 6! And that was from a ONE br villa to two hotel rooms. I cannot imagine if I had taken them from a 2 br villa to two hotel rooms

Now, they were "only" CBR rooms, not Poly rooms, but you get the idea. Where's the whirlpool in the room? Where's the "big" fridge? I want a grilled cheese sandwich. Can you microwave some popcorn for us to watch with the old cartoons? I did NOT cook a meal, or slave over laundry, but it was darn nice!

 

[reneempayne]

We just did a split stay between a 1br at BWV and two connecting rooms at CBR. Boy, you should have heard my spoiled family when they saw CBR. You would think I took them to the Motel 6! And that was from a ONE br villa to two hotel rooms. I cannot imagine if I had taken them from a 2 br villa to two hotel rooms

Now, they were "only" CBR rooms, not Poly rooms, but you get the idea. Where's the whirlpool in the room? Where's the "big" fridge? I want a grilled cheese sandwich. Can you microwave some popcorn for us to watch with the old cartoons? I did NOT cook a meal, or slave over laundry, but it was darn nice!

I guess that is why everyone says to start with the moderate first and then upgrade. We thought about doing a split stay too, but I can't be bothered repacking and moving with 2 kids. Plus it would cost us more since we are doing a package. I did consider it though since I am so bad at making decisions!

 

[Beavertails Queen]

I love the 2 bedroom villas at WL. You will not regret staying there. Here are some photos I took when there last year.

 

[2vets]

Just wanted to say, I agree with Eliza. I love, love, love to stay in the deluxe hotels, love the hotel aspect...but my little sister (who lives in Tampa) started inviting herself to "meet" us when we go to WDW a few years ago... I didn't have the heart to tell her no, since I only see her a couple times a year, so we were all staying in one room, not the most ideal situation. One year, they downgraded our BC room without downgrading the rate - and I expressed - um - concern to the manager and got upgraded to a 1BR BCV...amazing!! Thereafter, we started booking 1 BR villas. It works out perfectly.

That jacuzzi??? OMG, the best after a marathon day at the parks...

We have stayed at BCV and BWV - I have not noticed a theming difference in either - you still feel very much like you are at WDW.

Have a great trip!

 

[LoraJ]

Just wanted to say, I agree with Eliza. I love, love, love to stay in the deluxe hotels, love the hotel aspect...but my little sister (who lives in Tampa) started inviting herself to "meet" us when we go to WDW a few years ago... I didn't have the heart to tell her no, since I only see her a couple times a year, so we were all staying in one room, not the most ideal situation. One year, they downgraded our BC room without downgrading the rate - and I expressed - um - concern to the manager and got upgraded to a 1BR BCV...amazing!! Thereafter, we started booking 1 BR villas. It works out perfectly.

That jacuzzi??? OMG, the best after a marathon day at the parks...

We have stayed at BCV and BWV - I have not noticed a theming difference in either - you still feel very much like you are at WDW.

Have a great trip!

I'm so excited for our 1BR BCV. I booked it for the jacuzzi. My back is always killing me from walking around the parks all day. I'm afraid we'll be spoiled and not be able to go back to a regular room after this.

 

[Mouseaholic!!!]

We are not DVC members and do not need to join.....but our next trip will be in a 1 BR Villa at Boardwalk. I have stayed in a 1 BR before but not my husband.

He was spoiled by our wedding/cruise last summer in Alaska with the upgrade to a suite vs. a standard balcony cabin. Now he will not consider anything BUT a suite when we cruise.

Heck - my biggest challenge is going to be trying to get him OUT OF THE JACUZZI TUB!!!

We travel comfortably and generally stay in a Deluxe Resort at WDW.....but both of us can't wait for all the space, extra features and a fabulous king-size bed! (oh yes.....the washer/dryer. I can take a few less cloths so there will be MORE ROOM FOR SHOES!!! )

 

[2vets]

I'm afraid we'll be spoiled and not be able to go back to a regular room after this.

And you might be right...

 

[ElizabethB]

DH won't stay anywhere but a 1-bedroom villa. While I love club level at the deluxes, I, too, love the space and convenience of a villa. Although we don't really use the kitchen much, we have used the oven to make late night cookies. Yum. Plus, we're guaranteed a king size bed and a jacuzzi. And, we like to work out, so the washer/dryer is great. All in all, we like having all the comforts of home!

 

[ruzer28]

I agree that once you go villa you can't go back. The Poly was my favorite Disney hotel until I stayed at OKW and BCV in a 1-bedroom. My second (post-villa) trip to the Poly last August made me realize that I can never stay in a regular hotel room again. One of the big issues that I have with a regular room is hauling all my laundry to the communal laundry room. That definitely makes me feel like I'm at home and not on vacation! Plus, the living room and kitchen in the villa are just so comfy after a long day in the parks.