Does anyone else's kid hate the pullout couch?

[princessbride6205]

(I realize this is a total first world problem, but I thought my fellow DVC owners would understand.)

We are a family of 3 and find that studios suit how we vacation quite well. We don't need the extra space, have done well being frugal with our points, and wouldn't use the full kitchen. However since she was 6 or so, my daughter has hated the pullout couches. We own and love AKV, but haven't stayed there in over 2 years. Instead we've been staying at PVB since it has the little pull-down bed, which she thinks is fun. On our next trip, DD will be 10, so I'm not sure how much longer she will fit in the mini murphy bed (which I realize several of the resorts have now). I know we could stay at OKW to get 2 real beds, but I'm anxious to get back "HOME" to AKV. We don't have enough points to spring for a 2BR, so I guess I could just tell her to suck it up!

DH and I have been considering an add-on that could make a 2BR possible, but I'm not sure I want to waste points on a 2BR for just the 3 of us. And I totally love DVC, but if I'm thinking logically, we could just stay in a normal Disney room that has 2 beds. Sigh. Currently planning our January 2018 trip and deciding where to stay...

Any fellow members have similar stories, suggestions, or have kids with DVC-specific quirks?

 

[disneynutz]

You could try the "either you sleep on the sofa or we stay home".

Bill

 

[princessbride6205]

You could try the "either you sleep on the sofa or we stay home".

Bill

Yes, I've thought of that, Bill!

 

[ktmo]

You could try the "either you sleep on the sofa or we stay home".

Bill

Yes, my DD12 does not like the sleep sofas. She especially doesn't like sharing it with her sister. We got an aerobed for her little sister to use, so they don't have to sleep together. But, I still tell her that it is either the sleeper sofa or her bed at home. That seems to do the trick.

You could get a 1 bedroom that also has the sleeper chair. It might be less points than a two bedroom. Or just a 1 bedroom and bring an aerobed for the living room. We keep the aerobed in an Owner's Locker.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

"or we stay home" punishes everyone.

"The sofa or the floor, chica mia" is how I'd put it.

 

[mustinjourney]

I was going to suggest an air mattress as well. Might work.

What about just sleeping on the sofa as is, without pulling it out?

 

[Westcoastwild]

I was going to suggest an air mattress as well. Might work.

What about just sleeping on the sofa as is, without pulling it out?

I'm one of those people that hates pullout couches. Like, enough to actually stay home under that threat, so my parents stopped saying it. If the couch is long enough to sleep on without pulling it out, that's what I would do- the trouble is that usually they are more like loveseats and I'm too tall.

Air bed maybe. Or save some hassle and just get enough beds for all three of you. 12 isn't really a little kid- she knows what she likes. The problem isn't going to go away and if she really doesn't like them, that continues to be an issue--and it'll be something that sticks with her. Unless you are totally ok with her calling your bluff and eventually just staying home. Seriously, even now, that's my first question. I will stay at a less cool hotel, I will camp, I will not go at all. Anything to avoid a pull out couch. I will compromise on just about everything but pull out couch and food I'll actually eat are my two non-negotiables. Doesn't matter if I'm paying or not paying. No decent sleep and food that makes me sick means that trip is going to be miserable and I wouldn't do it for free.

Just my point of view. Your kid may give in; she may not feel as strongly as I do. And you may be totally okay with going without her.

 

[monorailmom]

My DS swears the pull out chairs at AKV are far more comfortable than the pullout sofa.

 

[ozliz]

I've considered taking the mattress and bedding off the pull out and folding the frame back up then putting it all down on the floor. I'm yet to try this at DVC but would love to hear if anyone has found that this worked. Too many aches if the mattress isn't supportive enough and I figure the floor might be a more comfortable bed base than the pull out frame.

 

[ppjluvsdvc]

I have thought of that too but I don't think the mattress comes off. I have also thought about just using the cushions from the sofa instead. One time I just slept on the sofa without pulling out the bed. It was more comfortable!

 

[cvjw]

My 70 year old mom slept on the fold down bed in a poly studio this past December, so your dd has many years still left

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

My 21 year old son sleeps on it. It doesn't seem like a big deal to him.

I guess I would say, we are going, there is a pullout couch. If you don't want to sleep there, figure something else out. Once she is old enough to stay home alone, let her.

In other words, suck it up buttercup. We all have to do things that we don't like, whether it be school, work or exercise.

Edit to add: I asked my son, "Isn't any day at Disney better than any day at work or school?" "Yes, pretty much."

 

[jennyl772003]

We are also a family of 3 who stay in studios (AKV is our home resort too). I've always liked the pull out couch since it opens up the room and gives you a place to sit in the evenings, but I'm not the one sleeping on it. My son does, and he's always said it was comfortable, but he's pretty go with the flow.

Is there something specific she doesn't like about it? would buying a cheap egg crate topper help? Otherwise an air mattress may be the way to go, but that could be super bulky for packing.

 

[bumbershoot]

Is there something specific she doesn't like about it? would buying a cheap egg crate topper help? Otherwise an air mattress may be the way to go

Agreed with the questions and ideas.


My son doesn't mind any of the options.

He's nearly 13 and almost 5'8" and only recently tried a DVC Murphy bed and loved it. He's a curled up sleeper so it doesn't matter that the bed is 5'3" long.

Find out what she dislikes about it and see if you can help.

That said, we have grownup family members who have slept on the pullout couches and chairs and they've felt they were all comfy.

In my family we don't often do the "I paid for this so I get the best" thing, and often try to see the other point of view, so if ds did ever complain that strongly, we might do a night where he got the bed and we got the pullout, just to see what's up.

 

[ML_LovesDisney]

(I realize this is a total first world problem, but I thought my fellow DVC owners would understand.)

We are a family of 3 and find that studios suit how we vacation quite well. We don't need the extra space, have done well being frugal with our points, and wouldn't use the full kitchen. However since she was 6 or so, my daughter has hated the pullout couches. We own and love AKV, but haven't stayed there in over 2 years. Instead we've been staying at PVB since it has the little pull-down bed, which she thinks is fun. On our next trip, DD will be 10, so I'm not sure how much longer she will fit in the mini murphy bed (which I realize several of the resorts have now). I know we could stay at OKW to get 2 real beds, but I'm anxious to get back "HOME" to AKV. We don't have enough points to spring for a 2BR, so I guess I could just tell her to suck it up!

DH and I have been considering an add-on that could make a 2BR possible, but I'm not sure I want to waste points on a 2BR for just the 3 of us. And I totally love DVC, but if I'm thinking logically, we could just stay in a normal Disney room that has 2 beds. Sigh. Currently planning our January 2018 trip and deciding where to stay...

Any fellow members have similar stories, suggestions, or have kids with DVC-specific quirks?

My girls are getting to the point where they want their own beds and they usually sleep together on the pullout couch in a 1BR. We will probably begin staying in 2BR and only go once per year instead of twice which they said they are okay with to have their own room. They don't usually complain though, but as we enter the "tween stage" i get the need for more privacy.

 

[DisMomof2Princesses]

My daughters slept on the pull out in OKW 1 bedrm last year. They didn't complain about the bedding, just that they were in the living room and the sun came in all the windows and we were in a separate bedroom. This year we're staying at Poly, in a dvc deluxe studio, so we'll all be in one room and the youngest is excited to stay in the pull down murphy and the oldest will get the queen pull out to herself unless the youngest wants to join her. We said if there's a problem that me and my husband may try the pull out, but we both have back issues as it is and wouldn't want to aggravate anything on vacation! We'll see what happens! We also told them one of these days we may be able to spring for the 2 bedroom and they can each have their own queen bed!

 

[jennyl772003]

In my family we don't often do the "I paid for this so I get the best" thing, and often try to see the other point of view, so if ds did ever complain that strongly, we might do a night where he got the bed and we got the pullout, just to see what's up.

I didn't even think of this, but it's a great idea! Or even a compromise, we'll take the sleeper 2 (or 3 or whatever) nights...

I know for our family, we love the longer vacations we can take by spending them in a studio. I'd really be bummed if we had to take a shorter vacation so we could have a second bed. Although, buying more points may not bum me out so much...

 

[icc2515]

On our next trip, DD will be 10, so I'm not sure how much longer she will fit in the mini murphy bed (which I realize several of the resorts have now).

I think you still have quite a few years of the murphy bed. My high school linebacker son traded places with his 10 year old sister on a bet one night and slept on it. He said it was fine, better than the couch.

 

[ITGirl50]

We are a family of 3 and stay mostly in 1-bedrooms. We have been going to WDW since DD was 2 and bought DVC when she was 10. She is now 20. She hates the pullout beds, but doesn't complain that much because she wants to be at WDW so she lives with the discomfort. The bed is either extremely hard or it won't lay down correctly and leaves the bar in her back or her head lower than her feet. The last trip we had enough points for a 2-bedroom lock-off and she really enjoyed having a real bed and a sofa to watch TV. We enjoyed having a living room to watch TV and hang out without tripping over her stuff. We also like waking up early to make coffee and breakfast without disturbing her. We are trying to purchase more points (in ROFR phase) so we can stay in 2-bedrooms more often. DVC is our vacation home, so we want to be comfortable when we are in our second home. We also want her to keep coming with us.

 

[princessbride6205]

I'm one of those people that hates pullout couches. Like, enough to actually stay home under that threat, so my parents stopped saying it. If the couch is long enough to sleep on without pulling it out, that's what I would do- the trouble is that usually they are more like loveseats and I'm too tall.

Air bed maybe. Or save some hassle and just get enough beds for all three of you. 12 isn't really a little kid- she knows what she likes. The problem isn't going to go away and if she really doesn't like them, that continues to be an issue--and it'll be something that sticks with her. Unless you are totally ok with her calling your bluff and eventually just staying home. Seriously, even now, that's my first question. I will stay at a less cool hotel, I will camp, I will not go at all. Anything to avoid a pull out couch. I will compromise on just about everything but pull out couch and food I'll actually eat are my two non-negotiables. Doesn't matter if I'm paying or not paying. No decent sleep and food that makes me sick means that trip is going to be miserable and I wouldn't do it for free.

Just my point of view. Your kid may give in; she may not feel as strongly as I do. And you may be totally okay with going without her.

Thanks for understanding the pullout couch hatred.

My DS swears the pull out chairs at AKV are far more comfortable than the pullout sofa.

We may be giving that a try in January if we get a 1BR!

My 70 year old mom slept on the fold down bed in a poly studio this past December, so your dd has many years still left

WOW!

We are also a family of 3 who stay in studios (AKV is our home resort too). I've always liked the pull out couch since it opens up the room and gives you a place to sit in the evenings, but I'm not the one sleeping on it. My son does, and he's always said it was comfortable, but he's pretty go with the flow.

Is there something specific she doesn't like about it? would buying a cheap egg crate topper help? Otherwise an air mattress may be the way to go, but that could be super bulky for packing.

She is a Princess-and-the-pea kind of kid - could feel a pea under 37 mattresses. Maybe we'll try an air mattress at home to see if that's doable for her.

Agreed with the questions and ideas.


My son doesn't mind any of the options.

He's nearly 13 and almost 5'8" and only recently tried a DVC Murphy bed and loved it. He's a curled up sleeper so it doesn't matter that the bed is 5'3" long.

Find out what she dislikes about it and see if you can help.

That said, we have grownup family members who have slept on the pullout couches and chairs and they've felt they were all comfy.

In my family we don't often do the "I paid for this so I get the best" thing, and often try to see the other point of view, so if ds did ever complain that strongly, we might do a night where he got the bed and we got the pullout, just to see what's up.

Good idea! And good to know bigger kids fit!

I think you still have quite a few years of the murphy bed. My high school linebacker son traded places with his 10 year old sister on a bet one night and slept on it. He said it was fine, better than the couch.

Sweet! I'll keep hoping AKV eventually gets these pull-down beds.

We are a family of 3 and stay mostly in 1-bedrooms. We have been going to WDW since DD was 2 and bought DVC when she was 10. She is now 20. She hates the pullout beds, but doesn't complain that much because she wants to be at WDW so she lives with the discomfort. The bed is either extremely hard or it won't lay down correctly and leaves the bar in her back or her head lower than her feet. The last trip we had enough points for a 2-bedroom lock-off and she really enjoyed having a real bed and a sofa to watch TV. We enjoyed having a living room to watch TV and hang out without tripping over her stuff. We also like waking up early to make coffee and breakfast without disturbing her. We are trying to purchase more points (in ROFR phase) so we can stay in 2-bedrooms more often. DVC is our vacation home, so we want to be comfortable when we are in our second home. We also want her to keep coming with us.

We plan to add on points this coming year, plus sometimes getting bigger rooms when we start bringing my sister and my soon-to-be-born niece. So we could end up in bigger rooms in a year or two from now anyway. So I guess I just need to figure out our January trip and if we can all agree on an AKV studio or one more year elsewhere.