Help with choosing where to stay!

[DJNOWICK]

Hi,

We're planning a trip for Grandma's 60th birthday from 11/26-12/3. Because there are 8 of us (my brother, SIL and their 1 yo son; me, DH and our 2 girls, who will be 2.5 and 7, and my mom - the birthday girl) I'm thinking of renting points for a 2BR DVC villa for most of the trip (the Sun-Thurs portion); then for variety and $ purposes, using my Florida resident status to hopefully snag discounted rooms for Fri-Sat.

(everyone gets along; mom can be a bit of a nudge but it will be fine for a week; there are no health/medical/mobility issues, etc. in the group)

With that, some questions for the DVC experts...and I do realize these are somewhat subjective...

Will a 2-BR villa work for this size group?

Which DVC resort would you recommend and why? We're leaning toward WL or BW/YB, but I don't want to discount SSR and OKW just because I know less about them...maybe they are undiscovered gems.

What's the difference, in your opinion, between the YB and BW villas (besides theming) and do you prefer one over the other (again, for reasons other than theming).

What do I need to know as a first-time prospective DVC point renter?

Thanks!

Jackie

 

[mikesmom]

Technically and legally you will fit, but I think it will be a bit of a challenge with bed space. Not much privacy. A 2 bdr will have a king in the master bedroom, a queen and a double pullout in the 2nd bdrm (or 2 queens if you choose OKW), and a queen pullout in the LR. If your mom doesn't mind sharing a room with one couple, your brother and SIL could use 1 bed in the 2nd bedroom, have their child in the pack n play, and your mom on the pullout in their room. Then you could have the king in the master and your girls share the pullout in the livingroom. OR, you could use the 2nd bedroom bed with your girls on the pullout in that room with you, give the master to brother and SIL and again the pack n play for their little one, and your mother on the pullout in the LR.

If it were me, I would get a 2 bedroom and a studio - much more room and privacy. Even close families can get on each other's nerves if their is insufficient privacy for a week.

I would recommend a GV because it has 3 bedrooms, except that the time you are going is VERY busy and they are probably all gone. As a matter of fact, that time of year is so busy for DVC that I would recommend you make arrangements ASAP.