Family of 6- should we be budgeting assuming we’ll always need enough points for a 2 bedroom?

[ChicagoDWFan]

Family of 5 here- we’ve been tossing around the idea of buying a DVC contract because we see this being at least an annual trip for the next 15 years.

Right now our youngest is under a year so studios work just fine. However we are considering having a 4th and it seems like both studios and 1 beds top out at 5 unless I’m missing something. Should we assume we’ll need enough points for a 2 bedroom?

 

[Cupcake232]

Hi! As your kids get older, if you have a 4th, you would need a 2 bedroom. While your 4th child is a baby, he/she would not count toward the room capacity so a one bedroom would work. Once they are over the age of 2, I believe you have to start counting them to the capacity of the room. One bedrooms that have the 5th sleeper under the TV are an excellent option for you with your current family size

 

[thanxfornoticin]

Agreed - you're doing a smart thing of at least thinking out that far when your kids are older. Then you have the 'can I bring a friend' request at some point! At some point, you might even prefer the 2BR with a sleeper chair separate from the sleeper/murphy beds. Your thinking is good! More beds, more rooms, and more bathrooms!

 

[ChicagoDWFan]

Hi! As your kids get older, if you have a 4th, you would need a 2 bedroom. While your 4th child is a baby, he/she would not count toward the room capacity so a one bedroom would work. Once they are over the age of 2, I believe you have to start counting them to the capacity of the room. One bedrooms that have the 5th sleeper under the TV are an excellent option for you with your current family size

There are so many options as a family of 5! Once you bump up to 6 it’s 2 bedrooms or bust! Probably appreciated while the kids are older, but we’re currently in the “everyone ends up in the same bed” era of our life haha

 

[DVCKing]

We have 4 kids under the age of 8. I can speak from experience you need to be looking at enough points for a 2 bedroom!

 

[Cupcake232]

There are so many options as a family of 5! Once you bump up to 6 it’s 2 bedrooms or bust! Probably appreciated while the kids are older, but we’re currently in the “everyone ends up in the same bed” era of our life haha

Oh I know what that’s like! Lol we are a family of 5 and my youngest is 8. He would still sleep in our bed if we let him! Lol he’s just too big and we don’t all fit now! Haha we stay in a 1 bedroom when we go. We love the ease of the Murphy beds in the living rooms that have been remodeled and they seem to be more comfortable than a pull out sofa! Also, the bedrooms have a king sized bed in them for when your kids are little and you do let them squeeze in It’s smart to think ahead. Depending on how long you want to go, you may need closer to 250-350 points.

 

[Matty B13]

Yes, I would plan on buying enough points to get a 2 bedroom each year with a family of 6. We are a family of 5 and just did a 1 bedroom and it really made us long for the 2 bedroom units we usually get. Make sure you understand the cost of each different resort, the points for a 2 bedroom at VGF are significantly more than at BWV. So you have to take into account point charts, your favorite resort, and also unless you like going in the summer, that your school schedule will put you in the first or second highest season for DVC. These can mean the difference between buying 350 points or buying 450-500 points which is a big difference in costs, plus the MF's.

Also, take into account the extra tickets you will have to buy as well, even with dvc already paid off, we are still spending over $10k to go once a year.

 

[ChicagoDWFan]

We have 4 kids under the age of 8. I can speak from experience you need to be looking at enough points for a 2 bedroom!

We haven’t even bought yet and I’m already trying to convince my husband we need more

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Just remember that 2 bedroom units are a lot harder to get than 1 bedroom units so home resort priority is going to be important. in other words, buy where you want to stay.

 

[Matty B13]

We haven’t even bought yet and I’m already trying to convince my husband we need more

Your probably looking at a minimum of $30k to $60k to start, possibly more for 2 bedrooms.

In order to save a little we have 2 contracts, and alternate years between our VGF contract and our AKV contract (this saved us a little money). We use the AKV points as SAP points, and have used them at BCV and BWV.

 

[Twohsieh]

We are a family of 5 who started our DVC journey 12 years ago when our kids were 5, 3, and 18 months. We have always stayed in a 1-2 bedroom villa at the DVC resorts we visited. Now that our kids have grown bigger and taller than us, we find that we like lodging in a 2 BR due to the bigger space and so that our kids can have a comfy bed instead of the sleeper sofa.

If you plan on purchasing a big contract direct, make sure to break them up into smaller contracts so that they are easier to sell down the road if needed. You could always buy a smaller contract now, then add another contract as your lodging needs change.

We added our second contract at another resort 2 years ago to get home priority benefits.

Best wishes on finding a great contract for your family. We love being DVC members-it has given our family and our immediate family members over a decade of great memories.

 

[NVDISFamily]

It sounds like 2BR is what you need and I’ll also recommend considering the possibility of getting some points at a resort with a lower point per night grand villa for when you want to have some more room and possibly want to to bring friends. We are impressed with the chart at AKV and love the resort so we are looking to buy some points there. The 2BR prices seem reasonable and the GV are a bargain compared to most.

 

[DonMacGregor]

Yes.

 

[RoseGold]

Sports, dance, whatever with older kids makes it hard to plan this. I know people do it, but I wouldn't prioritize Disney over these experiences. With a big age range and a lot of kids, seems like that would be an even harder problem.

 

[tjkraz]

Yes. Though it can be a long-term plan to add more points as the space is needed.

Even if you remain a family of 5, a One or Two bedroom villa may not be that far off. Teenagers usually don't do all that well sharing a full-size bed. And they tend to have different sleep schedules from mom & dad, meaning a little separation / privacy makes for a much more relaxing vacation.

When I'm planning a one-off vacation to some infrequently visited location, yeah we would probably cram into whatever hotel is the best combination of location/amenities/price. If I'm planning for 15 years of repeat business, personal comfort plays a much greater role.

 

[Brian Noble]

There are two answers to the question. Or, more accurately, there are two questions.

One question is "What is the smallest space we can cram into?" The answer to that is--for now--one of the studios with the trundle beds. When you have six over three, the answer is a 2BR. The other question is: "What size unit would make for a reasonably enjoyable vacation?" The answer to that? Your Mileage May Vary.

I was just saying this in another thread, but the entire reason we got into timesharing was to avoid having to cram the four of us into a hotel room. Our first DVC stay was in a 1BR, and we quickly decided that we would much rather have a 2BR, even though we didn't "need" one. Having a dedicated space in which no one has to sleep is great for early birds, night owls, and afternoon naps.

Right now, I go by the following rules of thumb, at Disney or elsewhere: One person can do a studio, but a 1BR is better. Two people? Strong preference for a 1BR; it is almost but not quite a requirement. Three people? We can squeeze in a 1BR if we have to, but would strongly prefer 2BR. All four of us? 2BRs are the minimum, but I will sometimes splurge on a 3BR. After all, the kids had separate bedrooms when they were at home, and while they each have a housemate, they each also have their own private bedroom. Why not do that on vacation too?

So far, I've never put my partner and I in a studio. I've booked a couple for us, but ended up cancelling them in favor of something larger. I had a "studio" for myself exactly once, but it was a loft with a king bed upstairs and a fully-equipped kitchen with apartment-sized appliances, so it hardly counted. (It also had a resident tattoo artist, and was, ahem, "colorful." Long story.)

When the kids were younger, my partner and I would often find ourselves hanging out in the living room of our timeshare condo, while the kids were off in their bedroom(s). One of us would look at the other and say: "Hotel rooms, huh?" As in: we understand that families like ours often vacation exclusively in hotel rooms, but we have no idea how they do it without divorce or murder.

(PS: the other cool thing about the villas? The master bedroom has a door that locks, meaning the parents cannot be interrupted in flagrante delicto. After all, it is your vacation too.)

 

[havoc315]

Not sure if anyone else pointed out the most economical DVC option:
2 studios.

Particularly if the 2 parents don't mind splitting up. And as kids get older, putting the older kids in a separate room.

Two studios is significantly fewer points and gives you more flexibility.
In other words -- Skip a trip 1 year, bank your points and have enough for a 2 bedroom the next year.
One year, only 4 or 5 of you are going, can simply get a single studio or a 1 bedroom.
And thinking long term, you may not be 6 people for all that long. It's perspective and relative.


A 2-BR is a nicer unit than getting 2 studios -- Having a kitchen, in-room laundry, and true living room.
But 2 studios are much more economical, and 2 studios will sometimes offer more sleep spaces.

 

[crisi]

Not sure if anyone else pointed out the most economical DVC option:
2 studios.

Particularly if the 2 parents don't mind splitting up. And as kids get older, putting the older kids in a separate room.

Two studios is significantly fewer points and gives you more flexibility.
In other words -- Skip a trip 1 year, bank your points and have enough for a 2 bedroom the next year.
One year, only 4 or 5 of you are going, can simply get a single studio or a 1 bedroom.
And thinking long term, you may not be 6 people for all that long. It's perspective and relative.


A 2-BR is a nicer unit than getting 2 studios -- Having a kitchen, in-room laundry, and true living room.
But 2 studios are much more economical, and 2 studios will sometimes offer more sleep spaces.

Do keep in mind that except at the Poly, studios do not connect. So the parents would have to split up until one of the kids is 18 (technically as a minor cannot occupy a room by themselves). Also, there is no guarantee that the rooms will be close to one another - people have gotten two studios and found themselves separated by floors and even buildings.

Like Brian, we always put our family of four in two bedrooms so no one would NEED to sleep in the family room and we could get up and make coffee while the kids slept - plus we've owned for a while and two bedrooms got us two bathrooms (I know some of the resorts now have two bathrooms in a one bedroom, but back when....) And yes, had the four of us in a GV once.....

I'm also a fan of buying points for every other year - because I think exposing your kids to the world beyond the World is important, because its cheaper (not just points, the thought of six adult tickets every year in a few years is making me queasy), and because as RoseGold said, the whole "sports, dance, job, camp" thing where your kids can't go comes up fast. You can always rent points for those few years when "Disney every vacation" makes sense (although we cruised in the off years ourselves at that point.)

 

[NVDISFamily]

Not sure if anyone else pointed out the most economical DVC option:
2 studios.

Particularly if the 2 parents don't mind splitting up. And as kids get older, putting the older kids in a separate room.

Two studios is significantly fewer points and gives you more flexibility.
In other words -- Skip a trip 1 year, bank your points and have enough for a 2 bedroom the next year.
One year, only 4 or 5 of you are going, can simply get a single studio or a 1 bedroom.
And thinking long term, you may not be 6 people for all that long. It's perspective and relative.


A 2-BR is a nicer unit than getting 2 studios -- Having a kitchen, in-room laundry, and true living room.
But 2 studios are much more economical, and 2 studios will sometimes offer more sleep spaces.

Depends on how you look at it...

If you look at it from a SQ FT per point perspective at some resorts the 2BR is the way to go:

My chart of Riviera SQ FT per point analysis I did while considering DVC purchase (I think this is 2023 charts but should still be fairly accurate) -

	Tower	Studio	Studio + Tower	1BR	2BR	GV
Season 1	3.36	4.07	3.77	3.82	4.39	3.35
Season 2	2.90	3.65	3.32	3.28	3.92	3.19
Season 3	2.68	3.44	3.11	3.14	3.65	2.98
Season 4	2.45	3.38	2.96	2.95	3.39	2.87
Season 5	2.20	3.04	2.66	2.76	3.23	2.65
Season 6	2.04	2.73	2.42	2.53	3.04	2.45
Season 7	1.47	2.02	1.77	1.91	2.09	2.00

If you think about it, the 2BR units are 3 studios (ish). Yes, if you need to go on a budget 2 Studios will save you points. But I want to live a little when we go and be in comfort. 2BR for the win!

 

[CarolMN]

Having a dedicated space in which no one has to sleep is great for early birds, night owls, and afternoon naps.

Couldn't agree more!