DCV for family of 5?

[staceymay00]

We are now a family of 6 and I have to admit it's because of DVC! If we were still trying to stay in regular hotel rooms we probably wouldn't have had Leah. Since we always stay in a 2 bedroom which sleeps 8 or 9 ..it was no problem to add another child to our family!

You know you are a true Disney fan when resort room occupancy affects your decision to have more children. I love it!

My husband and I have joked that if we had known how much more difficult and expensive it can be to travel with more than two children we would have stopped at two. We won't be adding to the family now that we own DVC because...well...I don't think I can handle more than three!

 

[burnsoc]

You know you are a true Disney fan when resort room occupancy affects your decision to have more children. I love it!

My favorite quote of the year! When DW and I joined DVC we were newlyweds. Now three kids later we can't even consider vacationing in anything other than a 2 bedroom. To the OP, the fact that because of homeschooling you can take your kids in off-peak times adds great value to DVC. The lower point structure that flexibility of travel gives you is something I'm jealous of. We have been members since 2002 (pre-children) and have constantly stated how it has been one of our best major purchases. Learn the system here on the Dis before you buy, and you will never be disappointed with your purchase.

 

[robinsegg]

To the OP, the fact that because of homeschooling you can take your kids in off-peak times adds great value to DVC. The lower point structure that flexibility of travel gives you is something I'm jealous of.

The lower point requirements at the times we would be most likely to travel *is* something we considered. We don't much like crowds and *really* enjoy being able to vacation in places when people aren't packed like sardines

We have been members since 2002 (pre-children) and have constantly stated how it has been one of our best major purchases.

Can you tell me about how often you generally go? What features do you like best?

Learn the system here on the Dis before you buy, and you will never be disappointed with your purchase.

Where's the best place to "learn the system" here?

Thanks so much for all your replies! They're really giving me some perspective!

 

[Sandisw]

The lower point requirements at the times we would be most likely to travel *is* something we considered. We don't much like crowds and *really* enjoy being able to vacation in places when people aren't packed like sardines

Can you tell me about how often you generally go? What features do you like best?

Where's the best place to "learn the system" here?

Thanks so much for all your replies! They're really giving me some perspective!

DVCnews.com has some great information about DVC and the ins and outs of the program.

The other piece is to ask a lot of questions here as all of us are willing to give you the pros and cons (of course, many of us haven't found many cons) of ownership.

We go yearly and joined in 2009. We know own 210 points and feel it will be enough to manage for the next few years. My hope, as my children begin to graduate from college and tuition payments subside, we will be able to add on more points for them.

We would rather go for less nights and in bigger accommodations than for longer in smaller ones. We know have enough points to go for 1 week in a 1 bedroom in the summer when we travel. BLT is our favorite, but we did like BCV and would also stay at BWV or VWL.

My DH and I want to be able to start doing a quick weekend trip in January EOY so we may start doing only 5 nights in the summer to manage this.

Good luck!

 

[Dean]

Hi!
While we were at WDW for our first trip, we went to the DVC tour. Since we *do* plan to go back and we *do* go on vacations every year, it looked like it made sense. However, now that we're looking at it a bit more, it seems our options for 5 people (me, dh, 3 kids) aren't all that great there. We don't like CR or BLT for theming and GF is *way* too posh for us. Are there any other families of 5 who are in DVC and it works for them? If so, can you give me any tips before we buy?
Thanks!

while there are some 1 BR options that will work now, you should assume you'll need a 2 BR for many trips going forward. You should consider how many points will work accordingly. How many depends on what you're looking at. I scanned the thread and if I missed all the details, I apologize. I caught the off peak and homeschooling references. IMO, length of the trip may be just as important and current season (which can change), esp if you're not looking at a full week as reference. Choice of home resorts may also affect the number of points you should look at.

 

[mumto3girls]

We are a family of 5 (3 girls) and DVC works nicely for us. Our youngest just turned 4, so this is the first year we really had to pay attention to occupancy. We have stayed in studios, 1 bedroom and 2 bedrooms over the years. While we do sometimes intend to stay in a 1 bedroom due to points, the added comfort a 2 bedroom is fantastic imo.

Although not at the parks, you can also stay at Vero Beach in a one bedroom with a family of 5. They have the sleeper chairs there.

I love the flexibility you have to vacation off-season. Fall is my favorite time to go away and Disney is especially nice then--food and wine, great weather.

And even though you didn't ask--I consider Hilton Head and Vero Beach to be one of DVC's best kept secrets. Those are fabulous resorts for a really relaxing family vacation.

 

[Laurabearz]

My family and I were traveling with friends in a two bedroom at OKW during Tropical Storm Faye....

Every day we would come home, shake out ponchos out and put them on the balcony to dry, take off our wet shoes and put them in front of the fridge to dry, and tossed a load of wet sweaty clothes into the washer.

And during the times when it was raining really hard, the villa was large enough for us to honker down

And we would wonder what people would do at regular resorts...

Each resort has it's charm. My favorite is BWV so we bought points there to get the 11 month window and standard view, which is less points for our two bedroom.

I just found out Vero now sleeps 5 in a one bedroom, so we are now waitlisted for some add on days to our WDW trip in June...

So as you can see we love the flexibility, esp for our family of 5

 

[bunkkinsmom]

We are 5 and stay at OKW. The one bedrooms are massive and plenty big for us. Our kids are 8,6,4 - but the villa is the biggest one bedroom on property and has a full size washer and dryer. My kids will have to be much bigger before we upgrade (unless we have the $$ and points for a 2 bedroom)

 

[maburke]

Another family of 5 checking in here. We have owned since 2002, but as our family grew, we loved the newer, bigger 1 BR's. If you really can't stand the theming at BLT, try AKV. You give up the monorail, but you keep the bigger 1BRs that sleep 5 with the extra bathroom at Kidani. And being able to watch the animals out the windows is an attraction in itself. Rent points and try staying there next time.