Did you buy into DVC thinking you would only stay in studios?

[toolmanjan]

We bought into the DVC back in 2000. Our idea when purchasing was to stay in a 1 or 2 BR unit all of the time. As a family of 4 staying in a studio kind of defeats the purpose of staying at a DVC resort.

When its me and my DW we stay in a 1 BR with our Kids 2 BR

My wife and stayed in a studio at VB and hated it.

What did you think when you bought?

 

[BillPA]

We bought when it was only The Disney Vacation Club, now Old Key West. Did we buy enough... we have added 5 times. With our original buy we had enough for a 2 BR 8 nights. That didn't cover it too long. Now with the grand kids, we're doing grand villas.

 

[seelyt2]

While everyone is different, we pretty much intended to stay non-studio from the get-go. We purchased in 2009 and our kids were DS12, and DD8 at the time. Even back then we did a one bedroom in either Kidani, Bay Lake, or OKW (since they have a sleeper couch, pull out couch and master bedroom) so kids didn't have to share a bed because DD snores like a lion and kicks the covers off, etc. Drives DS NUTS! Now they're 19 and 15 and sharing a bed would be the pits, and personally I need SPACE! A week in a tiny studio with those people would drive me INSANE! I LOVE them, but no thank you! We've stayed in a 2 bedroom twice thus far (Kidani and HH) and it was glorious! I cook some meals, too, so we like the full kitchen. We knew upfront that a studio for our family wasn't what we were looking for. We would consider a studio for a couples trip but the kids love going to much for that to happen anytime in the near future.

 

[Dean Marino]

Yes. Retired couple, no children. It's worked well .

 

[TCRAIG]

If it's the hubby and me we stay in a 1BR - if it's more than the 2 of us - we do a 2BR..even if we're only doing a few nights. We bought enough points to do that. We never plan on a studio...but we did have to spend one night in an AKV studio - it was not a good experience.

 

[Marionnette]

My first purchase was for enough points to stay 5-7 nights, in a studio, every 3 years. As (nearly) empty-nesters, it was a good fit. It was always intended as a way for me to get comfortable with the ins and outs of DVC ownership before spending large sums on bigger contracts. A studio is enough for me and my husband. Or a short trip with my sister. Or if my daughter wants to go with a friend. Over time, I added on slowly to the point where I can now stay for a week or longer in a 2-bedroom every year with an eye toward eventually traveling with one of our kids, their spouse and any grandkids.

 

[monorailmom]

Our 4 kids were 14yr old twins, 11, and 9 when we bought in, so we were already looking at a 2br villa anyway. Now that they are older, and don't always travel with us, we do 1 br's if it's 3 or 4 of us, but only do a studio if it's just DH and I . We do love the flexibility in being able to choose what we need for each trip since now, it varies.

 

[Sammie]

We bought to stay in 2 bedroom villas and haven't book anything else since.

 

[Sandisw]

We bought to give us the flexibility to choose. When DH and I go alone we typically have gotten a studio. When we go with others, we have typically done larger rooms, although one trip, we did do a few studios. Stretching our points to go for more nights or more often would far outweigh a larger room when its just the two of us!

 

[OneOftheB's]

We bought about 3 years ago when our kids were 3 and 6. Now that they are 6 & 9 the studio at VGF still work really well for us and we are able to go twice a year and stay a week or so at a time. I realize that things will change and a studio won't work forever and we will either need to buy more points (my philosophy) or go fewer times a year (DH's thoughts on the matter).

Everyone is different, but the thought that our usage right now defeats the purpose of buying DVC is odd to me. Other than additional space (which we don't need right now, both kids have their own bed, we have two showers to expedite getting ready in the morning) larger rooms add a full kitchen and an in room laundry. I'm on vacation--I don't want my time at WDW to be spent doing things I routinely do at home such as cooking or doing laundry. I'd rather be at the pool, or the parks, or Chip and Dale's sing along or a thousand other places than sorting laundry or washing pots and pans. JMO, that's the beauty of DVC, lots of room categories to accommodate us all! Of course we drive down and I could see my thoughts on laundry changing if I were flying to avoid the baggage fees.

 

[msjprincess]

I did the opposite. I planned on staying in 1 or 2 bedrooms but I find myself being stingy with points and booking studios to stay more nights.

 

[bwvBound]

We bought mostly for 1BR units for the two of us. We have mostly maintained that plan.

That said, we just returned from 4 nights in a 2BR lockout at a Wyndham property in Colorado which offered a full kitchen and laundry in each half of the lockout. Yippie -- we ran 6 loads of laundry (having brought a large bag of dirty laundry) and cooked with items from both kitchens. Yeah, this trip may set a new level of expectation ...

 

[OrangeBirdGirl]

Bought in assuming staying in a studio only (there is just 2 of us). So far it has worked well. The 1 bedrooms which have full laundry (I think 1 bedrooms have) sure would be nice, but I can't justify the points for that.

 

[Debby7]

We bought in 1992 enough points for 5 nights a year in a 2 bedroom for a family of 5. We have added on 3 times and only use a studio when it is just 2 of us. Sometimes we use a grand villa for 3 generation visits. Our philosophy was always if we had to use units that were really not roomy enough, we needed to save our points until we had enough to be comfortable. A family in a studio is not to us a good use of points.

 

[WolfpackFan]

We've never stayed in anything but a Studio while at Disney World but we usually get a 1BR or 2BR when we go to HHI. Reason is at WDW, we are never in the room and would never cook when there. But at HHI, we spend a lot of time in the room and do some cooking.

 

[Disneypapa]

From the beginning, our plan was a 2 BR for a week at OKW every other year. We only stay in a studio when it's just me and the spouse.

 

[com_op_2000]

When we first bought in, we had always planned on using most of our points for studios, Sunday through Thursday, and during the cheapest times of the year to maximize the number of nights we stayed.
We have added on twice since then.
We have done GV and 1-Bdrms when needed for large family gatherings, DCLs, and RCI exchanges.
We now want to get enough points to go every month for 2 - 5 nights per trip in studios. These rooms are big enough for DW and I and if we wanted to bring along a family member.

 

[Tiki Sean]

We bought knowing most of the time we would only stay in a studio. In all our trips since 2008 since owning we have only had a 1 bedroom twice. While we love having the 1 bedroom we often want to maximize the amount of days we can stay.

 

[keaster]

We are a family of three so we bought enough to stay in a 1-bedroom for one week twice a year. We have only stayed in a studio when it's just been DH and I or for a one night pre-cruise stay. We like the extra amenities in the 1-bedroom (kitchen, laundry, king sized bed, extra bathroom in some locations) and ability for us to have our space separate from our DD (so if she wants to stay up late watching TV in the living room, she can go ahead!).

Honestly a week in a studio with the 3 of us would drive us mad, but that's the way we are!

 

[jerseygal]

When we bought, bought with intention of staying in 2Brs which we did for years. Now that we add an October trip for F&W for DH and me, we stay in a studio. It depends, if our family trip includes only DS then we do 1BR, if both DS and nowfiance, 2BR.