Best DVC Bang For Your Buck?

[Nursemanit]

That's the point that @havoc315 and I are trying to make. This whole idea that a "DVC studio" and a regular hotel room have EVER been meaningfully different is silly.

One has 2 showers - One has only one ( this is the big difference )
refrigerator vs beverage cooler
Extra sink by the coffee machine
A sofa that is facing the TV vs one that is facing the spare bed
Ironing board vs steamer
Table and 2 chairs vs tiny table and sometimes no chair but a bench

For a solo traveler, BPK or OKW studios are at the bottom of the list .

 

[CaptainAmerica]

One has 2 showers - One has only one ( this is the big difference )

Lol what? The VAST majority of DVC Deluxe Studios do not have two showers. That's extremely rare.

A sofa that is facing the TV vs one that is facing the spare bed

This is an extremely Senior Citizen problem. Smartphones and tablets have replaced televisions for most people under 70, and people with KIDS (i.e. Disney's target audience) need beds more than they need sofas.

Ironing board vs steamer

Oh dang now you're persuading me.

Table and 2 chairs vs tiny table and sometimes no chair but a bench

This is entirely resort-dependent and can flip from refurb to refurb.

For a solo traveler, BPK or OKW studios are at the bottom of the list .

Solo travelers are a miniscule share if Disney guests overall and an even smaller share of DVC owners.

 

[Sandisw]

Lol what? The VAST majority of DVC Deluxe Studios do not have two showers. That's extremely rare.


This is an extremely Senior Citizen problem. Smartphones and tablets have replaced televisions for most people under 70, and people with KIDS (i.e. Disney's target audience) need beds more than they need sofas.


Oh dang now you're persuading me.


This is entirely resort-dependent and can flip from refurb to refurb.


Solo travelers are a miniscule share if Disney guests overall and an even smaller share of DVC owners.

I am under 70 and we use the sofa and TV all the time, and so do my guests who are much younger and well into the whole smartphone, tablet stuff.

So yeah, the sofa situation in the resort studio as well as the two beds is not a set up that we would choose.

It may be minor for some, but for others, it’s a big difference.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I am under 70 and we use the sofa and TV all the time, and so do my guests who are much younger and well into the whole smartphone, tablet stuff.

So yeah, the sofa situation in the resort studio as well as the two beds is not a set up that we would choose.

It may be minor for some, but for others, it’s a big difference.

Any time there's a generalized statement, of course there are going to be exceptions. I'm talking about meaningful differences that apply to the bulk of guests. I'm sure there's some person out there who would only buy at Kidani Village because it's absolutely critical to him to park in a covered garage. But that's not most people. I just simply don't believe that there's any substantial number of Disney guests who care what *direction their couch faces* in their villa/room.

 

[Sandisw]

Any time there's a generalized statement, of course there are going to be exceptions. I'm talking about meaningful differences that apply to the bulk of guests. I'm sure there's some person out there who would only buy at Kidani Village because it's absolutely critical to him to park in a covered garage. But that's not most people. I just simply don't believe that there's any substantial number of Disney guests who care what *direction their couch faces* in their villa/room.

And I bet most people do care about it, especially those who are DVC.

I think the entire set up of having a couch in the villas is important which is why the new renovations are using Murphy beds and not two queens like OKW.

So placement of the couch can be a big deal for those that hang out in their rooms.

 

[DVCsloth]

The entire VGF2 Studio only ordeal put a bad taste in my mouth. I get that everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes, but this is just a nicer hotel room. The original Villa's IMO are very well thought out and allow a small family to have something a little nicer and more comfortable than a standard hotel room. Just my opinion, I know some people will prefer the resort studios, but not me.

ETA It's not that VGF2 is bad, I think the rooms are nice and I understand that they may have needed to do this to help fill the hotel side demand. But it's seems like they rushed this and could have thought out the room layout or added some additional room types. The very least they should have done had the new resort studios slightly lower point requirement to keep some of the pressure off of original villas. We will need to see how this all plays out. Hoping for the best because we truly love the resort.

 

[Nursemanit]

Lol what? The VAST majority of DVC Deluxe Studios do not have two showers. That's extremely rare.


This is an extremely Senior Citizen problem. Smartphones and tablets have replaced televisions for most people under 70, and people with KIDS (i.e. Disney's target audience) need beds more than they need sofas.


Oh dang now you're persuading me.


This is entirely resort-dependent and can flip from refurb to refurb.


Solo travelers are a miniscule share if Disney guests overall and an even smaller share of DVC owners.

You were saying that the VGF rooms vs the BPK were the same - so the showers are an issue - I also own at both RIV and Poly which both have this layout because they are the premium resorts, I don't care when I am solo of course.

And I am not near 70 and I am an IT professional - and I would still rather sit on a couch and watch TV.

(Of course, I am usually watching TV on the television while multitasking and telling people they are wrong on the internet on my tablet.)

And yes I change for dinner and I iron my shirt before I go out if needed, or if I am eating in the room I sit on a chair at a table when I eat and not on a couch. But that is just how I was raised so that programming is kind of baked in.

 

[beldred]

And I am not near 70 and I am an IT professional - and I would still rather sit on a couch and watch TV.

My hubs and I are in our late 40's and definitely prefer the couch. He likes to watch tv to unwind and I like to endlessly scroll the internet in all it's forms while I sit near him. LOL
Also, one of the reasons that has us going for DVC for the first time at this late stage is now that our son is college aged and will not be going with us every trip, it's nice to have a couch rather than the 2nd bed, but having an OPTION for it to become a 2nd bed for when he is there. If that makes sense. I certainly don't think that's a factor for most DVC shoppers, but just showing that you never know what weird reason people might have for wanting the same things.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

I get that everyone has their own personal likes and dislikes, but this is just a nicer hotel room.

That's what some people want! That's what some people prefer! Why is that so hard for some people to understand? If YOU don't prefer it, don't stay there. None of the existing studios were converted, this was all new inventory. You didn't lose anything.

You think a Deluxe Studio is an upgrade over a hotel room. I'd bet money that most people view it as equal, as @havoc315 seems to. I think it's a significant downgrade, at least prior to the latest waves of Murphy bed conversions. Those pull-out sofa beds are absolutely trash. It's embarrassing to me that Disney sells those to people.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

You were saying that the VGF rooms vs the BPK were the same - so the showers are an issue -

I was speaking generally, that DVC Studios are roughly equal to Disney Deluxe hotel rooms. I wasn't being resort-specific.

I also own at both RIV and Poly which both have this layout because they are the premium resorts, I don't care when I am solo of course.

Grand Cal and Aulani are the premium resorts as far as I'm concerned.

And I am not near 70 and I am an IT professional - and I would still rather sit on a couch and watch TV.

I'm 33 and I can say with 100% honesty that it has never even occurred to me to turn a television on while on vacation. Maybe I'm abnormal.

And yes I change for dinner and I iron my shirt before I go out if needed, or if I am eating in the room I sit on a chair at a table when I eat and not on a couch. But that is just how I was raised so that programming is kind of baked in.

Tori Richard Honolulu, at least 50% silk, ideally 100%. Just the tiniest hint of Florida humidity and you'll never have to touch an iron again.

 

[tidefan]

Just to chime in. I am on record many times over as not being a fan of including BPK into the original association as we too prefer the original setup of the deluxe studios. I don't think BPK is bad, it just doesn't fit OUR needs, but like @CaptainAmerica says, it does probably hit a larger audience than what we are. That said, what I wish they would have done if it is going to be like hotel rooms is to make a number of them have a King bed as opposed to 2 queens (many hotels do this!). Now, a King bed in a studio-ish room (and there is sq. footage to do it), may have swayed me...

 

[Vikingquest05]

Doesn’t matter where you own, buy as many points as you can afford and stay everywhere.
Upgrade from hotel rooms and only stay at 1 bedroom and above to avoid the booking battles and double your vacation happiness.

I was wondering about this strategy. Are 1 bedrooms and above really that much more available at 7 months? We are considering 150 direct buy on VGF, and then buying 100 or so more VGF later on resale. If I instead bought a 200 resale at a low price per point resort (Saratoga?), do I still have a good chance of booking a 1bdrm or above at a monorail or Epcot area Dvc resort 7 months out? I’d be looking for fall or spring. Thanks in advance.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Tori Richard Honolulu, at least 50% silk, ideally 100%. Just the tiniest hint of Florida humidity and you'll never have to touch an iron again.

Reyn Spooner (OG pullover fit) or Tommy.

End of.

 

[DVCsloth]

That's what some people want! That's what some people prefer! Why is that so hard for some people to understand? If YOU don't prefer it, don't stay there. None of the existing studios were converted, this was all new inventory. You didn't lose anything.

You think a Deluxe Studio is an upgrade over a hotel room. I'd bet money that most people view it as equal, as @havoc315 seems to. I think it's a significant downgrade, at least prior to the latest waves of Murphy bed conversions. Those pull-out sofa beds are absolutely trash. It's embarrassing to me that Disney sells those to people.

Nothing about this is hard for me to understand. Some people like 2 real beds, so do I to a point. I bought VGF in 2014 for the Villas and had no Idea that they could change the room balance of the resort. We usually stay in 1br's but sometimes stay in studios, so we don't know if we didn't "lose anything yet". They sold BPK as the same association so it will take time to see what effect this will have on the original villas.
And yes, I do feel that a deluxe studio is an upgrade over a hotel room. Thats one of the main reasons we bought DVC.

 

[Ruttangel]

I'm 33 and I can say with 100% honesty that it has never even occurred to me to turn a television on while on vacation. Maybe I'm abnormal.

Only thing we used to have on was Resort TV and the new TV’s have scrapped that….so sad!
Having said that when getting ready to go out this year we did look at some of the behind the attraction videos on Disney+

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Reyn Spooner (OG pullover fit) or Tommy.

End of.

Reyns chafe me.

 

[DVCanadian]

I was wondering about this strategy. Are 1 bedrooms and above really that much more available at 7 months? We are considering 150 direct buy on VGF, and then buying 100 or so more VGF later on resale. If I instead bought a 200 resale at a low price per point resort (Saratoga?), do I still have a good chance of booking a 1bdrm or above at a monorail or Epcot area Dvc resort 7 months out? I’d be looking for fall or spring. Thanks in advance.

No one can say for certain. Depends what you mean by a good chance. Also depends on the specific dates, length of visit, and the resort. Fall and spring is too vague. Easter and thanksgiving? That would be unlikely
If you absolutely have to stay at a specific resort, buy there, if not there can value for those who can be flexible.

We own resale at SSR (2011) zero visits and OKW (2014) 2 visits.
Bought SSR for the price, contract length, and the treehouses.
We plan each trip based on who is going and our goals. So far that has meant the treehouses haven’t been an option
My goal is to stay at every resort.
We have stayed at every resort not at WDW.
We joined DVC for the flexibility to stay at any of the deluxe resorts in the system.

In 2 weeks checking Grand Floridian off the list with a 5 night stay in a 2 bedroom.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Easter and thanksgiving? That would be unlikely.

Easter is one of the easiest weeks to get at 7 months. Nobody wants it because it's so expensive.

 

[RoseGold]

OP is completely gone and answered zero questions and we are still here arguing.

OP needs to do the math for their own situation to figure out if DVC is a decent choice. It will never be a "cheap" choice, but it might be cheap-er than some other ones.

 

[mamaofsix]

Since annual dues are going to cost you more in the end than your original buy-in, dues were one of our most important factors when considering where to buy (next to "buy where you want to stay).

Buying a whole bunch of "cheap points" via resale at a resort with high dues will be less economical in the end than paying more upfront for a lower dues resort. We chose VGF direct because of the relatively low dues, and the fact that we really love the resort. Certain resorts simply have historically lower or higher dues. It's good to research that before buying.

Resort	2022 Dues	2021 Dues	% Increase
Animal Kingdom Villas	$8.2365	$8.0728	2.03%
Aulani	$8.6739	$8.3539	3.83%
Aulani (Subsidized)	$6.5205	$6.2799	3.83%
Bay Lake Tower	$7.0826	$6.8998	2.65%
Beach Club Villas	$7.5362	$7.4373	1.33%
BoardWalk Villas	$8.0802	$7.8126	3.43%
Boulder Ridge	$8.1469	$8.1062	0.50%
Copper Creek Villas	$7.6020	$7.5903	0.15%
Grand Californian	$7.4824	$6.9927	7.00%
Grand Floridian	$7.0077	$6.8118	2.88%
Hilton Head	$10.0707	$9.9730	0.98%
Old Key West	$8.8063	$8.3578	5.37%
Polynesian	$7.3859	$7.0542	4.70%
Riviera	$8.3840	$8.3833	0.01%
Saratoga Springs	$7.3287	$7.1110	3.06%
Vero Beach (Before 1/1/96)	$9.4100	$8.8560	6.26%
Vero Beach (On or After 1/1/96)	$11.9405	$11.2307	6.32%