Eating Meals In Your Villa--The VGF Deluxe vs. Resort Studio Controversy

[Maria_Ohana]

We always do breakfast in the room. And as breakfast is often eggs/pancakes/french toast - actually a cooked breakfast - and not a bagel in a toaster or a bowl of cereal, we want a full kitchen. It was one of the surprises for me with DVC - I thought I'd see the kitchen as a prop and never use it - turns out, at Disney I'm up early enough and the kids moved somewhat later so that I could get eggs or pancakes into them - and we could still all hit rope drop. And that full breakfast keeps us going to lunch.

We seldom use it for leftovers or other meals.

I also make far more use of the washer dryer than I thought I would when we bought.

And the exception to no dinners is Aulani (but not Hilton Head). We were at Aulani in January when parts were still Covid impacted. There really aren't sufficient restaurants on site for the occupancy - or even enough restaurants a close walk away (there are some, just not a lot) - and food is really expensive on the island - stacking Disney prices on top of already high Hawaii costs can give you sticker shock. Cooking is necessary for variety - or being able to drive closer to Honolulu. Hilton Head we always have dinner out - there are a lot of great places on the island - but usually do lunch in the room.

Sounds like my family. Definitely Aulani, kitchen is utilized. I can only eat so much rice and teriyaki chicken. The washer and dryer is used so much during our stays. Even if it's just the clothes we wore for the day. I can also wash the towels as needed.

 

[Leight19]

We’ve cooked in 1br/2br before but for studios the main thing I am concerned about is the lack of real fridge. We have two young boys and a 9 month old so we are concerned about storing milk and dairy based snacks/leftover baby food in these “beverage coolers”. I just don’t see any reasonable justification to not have true fridge/freezers and would be furious if I was gfv owner who had these rooms dumped into my pre-existing association. It really seems to me dvc went as cheap as possible with notion the existing rooms and amenities would drive sales.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

I don't think the lack of kitchenette would bother me. We don't cook (we get breakfast/snacks from Gaspy's before heading out, haven't ordered groceries since 2018), and leftovers are rare. I think I used a microwave once in all my trips to Disney, no one in my family drinks coffee, and I didn't even know the rooms came with a toaster??

As long as we have somewhere to keep beverages cooler than our body temperature, we should be good.

I'll miss having the separate sink I suppose. I sometimes brushed my teeth or washed my hands there when the bathroom one was occupied. But waiting 5 minutes for someone else to finish brushing their teeth is a hardship I can live with.

However, I say this now, as a purely academic consideration. Will be interesting to see how the first stay goes. We're booked in a resort studio for July 1 and July 2. This could end up being our go-to resort and room choice because of the second queen bed. My 6 year old is already calling dibs on which bed she wants and she is thrilled that she doesn't have to sleep on a pull down/murphy/sofa bed for this trip. But maybe I'll find it strange not to have the kitchenette that I'm so used to seeing, even if we underutilize it.

 

[Sandisw]

I don't think the lack of kitchenette would bother me. We don't cook (we get breakfast/snacks from Gaspy's before heading out, haven't ordered groceries since 2018), and leftovers are rare. I think I used a microwave once in all my trips to Disney, no one in my family drinks coffee, and I didn't even know the rooms came with a toaster??

As long as we have somewhere to keep beverages cooler than our body temperature, we should be good.

I'll miss having the separate sink I suppose. I sometimes brushed my teeth or washed my hands there when the bathroom one was occupied. But waiting 5 minutes for someone else to finish brushing their teeth is a hardship I can live with.

However, I say this now, as a purely academic consideration. Will be interesting to see how the first stay goes. We're booked in a resort studio for July 1 and July 2. This could end up being our go-to resort and room choice because of the second queen bed. My 6 year old is already calling dibs on which bed she wants and she is thrilled that she doesn't have to sleep on a pull down/murphy/sofa bed for this trip. But maybe I'll find it strange not to have the kitchenette that I'm so used to seeing, even if we underutilize it.

I can't wait to get reports on the 5th sleeper and how comfortable that type of bed is. I remember, before DVC, we had them at the CR, and my kids were not huge fans of them for comfort...but that was many moons ago so hopefully, they are better than the pull out sofas are!

 

[Brian Noble]

We are pretty much exclusive to 1BR so the question might be moot. But nearly all breakfasts are in and maybe one or two other meals on the space of a week.

 

[AliceIn]

We typically eat one meal out per day. Breakfast is always in the room. We make omelets, waffles, yogurt parfaits, etc. We make lunch the main meal around 1-2 and usually eat in a restaurant. We have a light supper in the room in the evening. We have soup or salad or some sandwiches. If we stay in studios, breakfast is cereal, waffles, toast or yogurt.

 

[GrumpyInPhilly]

We are pretty much exclusive to 1BR so the question might be moot. But nearly all breakfasts are in and maybe one or two other meals on the space of a week.

Same here.

 

[CarolynFH]

We're 1BR folks and always eat breakfast in the room - my husband likes to cook eggs & bacon, but now we alternate with oatmeal just to feel like we're eating healthy while on vacation. We used to eat most lunches and dinners out, but we're in transition now especially when visiting in the summer. We stick close to the room during the day, eat lunch there, and don't venture out until dinnertime.

 

[bbn1122]

My family is usually in a 1 or 2 bedroom. We may not cook, but having a full fridge for water, milk, drinks and beer. Plus, fruit, yogurt, butter, cold cuts and leftovers is a plus. I like having the counter tops, microwave and toaster. And sink and dishwasher helps. We definitely have breakfast in the Villa and sometimes lunch.

DH and I will be staying out first studio at the Poly in September. We figure for the few days we are the kitchenette will be sufficient. But before that trip I will be staying in the new Resort Studio at VGF. It’s only me, I am meeting up with friends who are staying the area. I have no plans to do anything but make coffee and put some water in the cooler.

I will try to give a quick TR after my VGF stay and then in the fall after I have stay at regular studio.

I love every Villa I have ever stayed at and I have been fortunate enough to stay at almost all resorts, except BWV and BCV.

 

[miksicnarf]

I only get a studio if I'm solo (and even then I'll get a 1BR if possible); otherwise, the full kitchen is always in play. We use every inch of the fridge and freezer, oven for frozen pizza and lasagna, all the bowls and serving pieces for snacks and charcuterie. No real "cooking" but definitely need the kitchen! The dining table is required for our traditional jigsaw puzzle, and there's nothing like packing light and using the washer and dryer.

 

[Madame]

We are a 2 bd (occasionally 1 bd) family. We eat sit down 1-2x per day. We rarely do QS. We tried it our first couple trips (probably bc we had the dining plan), but the chaos of 3 kids, finding a table for all 5. Trying to get everything to the table…. Just no. And RIP BoG lunch

We make eggs/pancakes/french toast daily. Also use the kettle/ fridge/toaster/microwave daily and couldn’t live without the washer/dryer. If all of the studios go to the beverage cooler we will be seriously unimpressed (I occasionally book a studio at bcv to save points over spring break).

 

[bobbiwoz]

We enjoy breakfast in the room. Breakfast usually means cold cereal or microwave oatmeal. Plus I always make a pot of coffee. Resort studios are definitely not what I want/need.

 

[monorailmom]

We cook breakfast in our room daily, whether staying studio or 1 or 2 bedroom. The beverage cooler thing is just ridiculous. We need a place to keep eggs, cheese, milk...plus we want our water bottles cold, not cool.

 

[JoeyPeligroso]

For short stays, no cooking is our typical, but a real refrigerator is still nice to have for snacks. For longer stays I really like making breakfast in the room. It really also depends on the size of the party traveling with us and their food preferences as well. It would be hard to imagine a time where a beverage cooler is enough for all but the shortest of trips with park heavy days.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Our home resort is BWV, but we’ve stayed at many of the other DVC propreries on site, along with VB, HHI, and Aulani. We do in-room breakfast most days (perhaps one character breakfast most trips): cold cereal with milk, bagels with cream cheese, toast with butter and jam, so we need a mini-fridge for milk, cream cheese, butter, etc. We also usually have some deli-style turkey or ham and sliced cheese along with gluten free bread (many of which should be kept in the fridge) and condiments for some lunches or dinners on days when we do a signature meal for the other one. We routinely buy an inexpensive toaster for the room (Walmart, Walgreens, CVS all have them) to assure it is not cross-contaminated because of the need for gluten free preparations. A microwave may only be used if we must do a popcorn fix because it’s too hard to get a fresh bucket or to reheat pizza if we didn’t finish a whole gf pie from the pizza window. The popcorn stand on the BW used to be available for refills, but may not be open post-Covid. Even with a one- or two-bedroom, we don’t do any major hot meal preparation so a working refrigerator is the most important piece of kitchen equipment for us.

 

[TCRAIG]

Like you. it's just me and DH. We've always had a 1 BR, use the microwave only to reheat mobile orders (if they're not warm enough by the time we get back up to the room), reheat leftovers, or make tea. I stay in studios on my solo trips, and like others, hate the idea a beverage cooler. I love yogurt parfaits for breakfast, and frequently buy one the night beforehand (either at the resort QS or Les Halles Bakery). Also, like when I'm with DH, I'm reheating left overs or making tea.

Like Simba’s Mom - we don’t really ‘cook’ in our room but we do make breakfast and need a microwave and stovetop (I like pancakes). We also like to make ice cream floats every night - that’s why - even though it’s just 2 of us - we always get a 1Br. I also hate to bring home piles of dirty laundry…however, if I was going solo - either of the GF Studio arrangements or Poly would work for me…

 

[Noodlez]

I'm another one that doesn't do much real cooking, just toasting bagels for breakfast mainly, but I need a fridge for my milk, cheese, meat, juice and of course plenty of white wine! I also appreciate the space of the kitchen in a 1 bedroom and a decent sized sink. If we can't stretch to one for the full stay we like to get one near the end for the laundry facilities.

Even without a kitchenette I would still choose the deluxe studio as I prefer not to have a spare bed taking up space.

 

[diswish]

I cook most meals due to dietary needs. The full kitchen is a must for me. Doesn't bother me at all, it's like playing house to do it away from home!

 

[DVCsloth]

When we stay DVC, we pretty much want a Villa not a hotel room. We have a 10 YO who will eat leftovers and likes to have a bowl of cereal in the morning. BPK might be ok for us for a few days, but we usually stay 7 days or more. If it gets too difficult for the original Villa's SV studio or 1br we will just use our VGF for SAP or an occasional MK event, we want to attend.

 

[ain0004]

We stay in a 1 bedroom or larger.
Cook lots of our own meals.