Do you think a 1BR over the studio is worth double the points?

[disprincess2213]

Now that we have used our points for the first time (staying at mostly studios and 2nights in a 1br at OKW), we were wondering if most of you out there think the 1BRs are worth double the points? We are only a family of 3 (Me, DH and DD 2) and both room sizes were perfect for us. OKW 1 BR was absolutely incredible. Our jaws dropped. It was such a treat to have ALL that room! It felt like we were home but still on vacation lol!!
Anyways, now that we are booking our next trip, we are seeing that if we book 1 bedrooms over studios, its almost as if we could take a whole other vacation with the extra points over a studio! What do you all do and what do you choose? Save the points and forfeit the extra space and kitchen? Or book 'cheap' and save the points?

 

[finchy3]

It's always tempting to try and stretch the points, but the 1 bedroom for us really makes our stay extra special.

 

[okw2012]

Depends on the length of the trip, really. For a few nights, we'll do a studio as we do want to hit a few good restaurants in any case, so we would not use the kitchen that much. For a longer stay we enjoy being able to eat in and relax in the living room. We figure that if we cook our own meals, we save enough to cover the extra cost of the room (family of 5 with teens). In adventure season the difference is 11 points, so 64$ in MF, and for us 85$ when we take into account what we paid for the points. Grocery will cost us around 50$ for the day (10$ per person for two meals + snacks). We only need to save 135$ on food in the parks to justify the 1BR. Really easy to do if we skip a single TS!

 

[ozzie2131]

We love having the separate bedroom that the 1 bedroom offers. Especially with having a toddler. We can put her down and still enjoy an hour or two to ourselves. Love the extra room it is well worth the cost. But I do agree that if we were only doing a weekend we might just do a studio.

 

[Dawn68PA]

The important thing for us is being able to go to WDW 3 times a year for a week each time. We figure with the amount of points we have we can do a 1BR one time a year. We've decided within a few years we want to buy more points so we can stay in a 1BR every time. We miss the full kitchen greatly when we're in a studio!

 

[disprincess2213]

im so glad i asked this because these are awesome tips and logic. We dont really use the kitchen to cook but we DO use the living room and Jacuzzi. Having a 1 bedroom DOES make it extra special!! I agree! We are doing a short trip for 6 nights and want to do a split (something we really enjoy doing). So 3 nights 1 br and 3 nights studio is what we are thinking. Im thinking that 3 nights (as opposed to the 6) would seem less of a blow for us. Ande with a toddler, its so much more fun for her to run around in the 1 bedroom!

 

[okw2012]

Good plan! Consider AKV for your split stay, great resort for kids, even toddlers, but ask for a room close to the lobby or the pool in order to minimize walking time in looooooong corridors. Even our teens found it a bit overwhelming when we were given a room at the far end of the hallway. We like the Kidani pool better than Jambo. Great place to relax in a 1BR with a Savannah view.

 

[Anal Annie]

We're also only a family of 3 and 99.9% of the time use studios. We had a 1-bedroom once for 9 nights (because it was a last minute trip and there were no studios available) and yes, it WAS nice to have the extra space. For me, it was the king bed that was nice (we only have a queen at home). I don't usually do laundry on vacation but since the W/D was RIGHT THERE I did do a couple of loads. I still didn't cook but the extra counter space was nice in the kitchen. However, that said, I DO NOT feel that the 1 bedroom is worth double the points. Our DS's biggest gripe (he's now 17, just almost 18 and is 5'11") is that he still had to sleep on a pull-out sofa bed. He would LOVE to have a real bed but there's no way we're able to get a 2 bedroom which is just overkill for 3 people. (Yes, I know OKW has 2 beds in a studio however we had a terrible experience at OKW on our first ever DVC stay that left me almost in tears that we'd even bought DVC so we're in no hurry to go back, and may never, ever go back.) When we bought we purposely calculated to buy enough points to have 2 weeks / year in studios so for the most part, that's our plan. We prefer to stretch our points as far as we can and I don't see that changing quite yet. With DS moving on to college next summer our vacations will start to change so it's possible we may mix things up. I think after his 2nd year it's really going to hit because he has to do 2 summer co-ops in-between his 2nd & 3rd years and again in-between 3rd and 4th years so we may go less and upgrade our accommodations. Who knows right now. But value-wise I still think the studios are the best deal.

 

[disneynutz]

It all depends on what's you like. This is a vacation, some like to pack in as much park time as possible, others like our family, are now past that point. We focus on the resort and do parks as an extra. We have grown tired of the park crowds and standing in line for half of the day.

We only do 1 bedrooms for 2 people and 2 bedrooms for 3. We eat most of our meals in the room, sleep in if we feel like it, watch a movie or two, play board games, go on walks.

Bill

 

[nalajms]

So 3 nights 1 br and 3 nights studio is what we are thinking. Im thinking that 3 nights (as opposed to the 6) would seem less of a blow for us.

Make sure to book the Studio first, then 1br.

In an effort to squeeze more vacations in, we decided to downsize to a Studio this year. Never again with DH.

 

[MAO]

LOL. I'm a single individual and, unless I've spent my points (like this year's big family blowout where I'm offering up 3 one-bedrooms and a two-bedroom to family members) and can only afford a studio, I always stay in a one-bedroom. As disneynutz says, it depends on what you like and want out of your vacation.

 

[stormer]

We are a family of 4 and always get a 1 bedroom. We usually go for eight days in August. With the heat, we go through a lot of clothes so I love the convenience of doing laundry often and not packing as many clothes. We eat dinner out, but love having a comfortable breakfast in the room before heading out. It is also nice to have separate sleeping areas, as my boys are now 10 and 13.

My favorite thing about a 1 bedroom is if we stay at AKL or BLT the kids get their own bathroom. As the only woman in the family that is a big plus for me!

 

[Simba's Mom]

In an effort to squeeze more vacations in, we decided to downsize to a Studio this year. Never again with DH.[/QUOTE]

We did that also, and I acted like a spoiled, b***ch all week, missing my 1 BR. When DH worked, he could only take a week's vacation at a time, so the 1 BR really improved the quality of our vacations and we though double the points was well worth it. Now, having experienced a studio again, we believe the 1 BR is still well worth, yes, even double the points because our vacations are so much more relaxing and like staying in an apartment.

 

[nalajms]

I acted like a spoiled, b***ch all week, missing my 1 BR.

That was DH and my 4yo during the trip. We were only there for a long weekend!

What do you all do and what do you choose? Save the points and forfeit the extra space and kitchen? Or book 'cheap' and save the points?

As others have mentioned, you have to know how you like to vacation and what each family member prefers. DH wanted to watch TV after 10pm and if we're back for naps in the afternoon. That didn't work out so well in a studio. My kids ended up not sleeping until almost midnight because while daddy's watching tv, they are jumping around and playing.

On the flip side, when it was just my mom, me and my 2 little ones in Jan, we did great in a studio. Everyone was OK going to sleep at a reasonable time.

 

[DenLo]

We prefer longer vacations and don't mind being the in same room with each other, even when at home we prefer it that way. However as others have mentioned if naps or early bedtimes are involved a 1BR might work better.

 

[AZMermaid]

We are a family of 4 with two preschoolers. We always do 1BR. We like the king size bed and we love the extra space with the kids in their own room. We have not cooked at all (we plan to at Aulani this summer) but even having the big table for cereal in the morning is great. For us, the 1BR is well worth the extra points. If DH and I were to go for a long weekend, we would probably get a studio, but other than that, we accept that we are 1BR people!

 

[graychef]

Convenience of the washer/dryer makes me lean toward the 1-BR. I'm currently adding on points to make this every-so-often dream a reality. Plus, I'm at enough points where I can book four 1-BR reservations every three years or so for a full family vacation.

 

[jshuff1]

I understand about the logic with the cost to the both rooms. But I'm all about the space bout the space bout the space no problem haha

 

[supersnoop]

Benefits of a one bedroom:

1. Washer/drying in room so you can throw in a load of laundry before heading to the parks
2. Full kitchen so you can actually cook a breakfast
3. Bedroom door with a lock on it, so you can, well... lock the kids out.

 

[MrsNick]

I think it is worth the extra points for a 1 BR. But we don't always have the points for a 1 BR
We are a family of 3. We get the 1 BR when we can and get a studio when we have to. I know. First world problems, right?