Is the upgrade from 2 Bedroom to Grand Villa worth it?

[Jlo85]

Asking specifically for Animal Kingdom Lodge. We’re a party of 7 (2 couples, 1 single adult, and 2 little kids). I think the single adult would prefer their own room, but just want to see if the grand villa is better in any other ways before offering to upgrade? It feels kind of points wasteful to me.

 

[Sandisw]

I have never done a GV but we upgraded our 3 night January trip to a GV at RIV when we went to 6 guests..-..and potentially up to 8.

I had the points and feel it’s worth it with that many people. The other option was to get an additional studio but by the time the guests were added no studios at RIV were available

 

[RoseGold]

That's a lot of people in 2BR. You can just get a studio also, you don't have to get a 3BR.

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

We did a GV at Kidani and it was amazing. We had us in the master, my daughter, son in law and two grandkids in the 2nd room, and my other daughter and her boyfriend in the 3rd bedroom. It is great if you want to be together but still have privacy.

 

[GoingSince1990]

GV feels more like a house than a hotel room, especially at AKL where they have two levels. If you spring for the GV, everyone in your party will be raving about it for years to come.

 

[FreeTime]

GV is terrific. We used one for two adults and five teens. It was worth it to have the mom dad room, girls room and boys room with no one in the living room.

 

[jo-jo]

Only drawback, any chance people drop out? Had a friend that got a GV for two sets of grandparents, DS , DDIL and DGD. One set of grandparents dropped out (not due to medical). Friend thought, well, it was a waste of points but he was stuck. No 2 bedroom open. I offered to come and fill the space........

 

[DisneyRegulars]

We’ve done a grand villa and also a stay with a two bedroom and a studio. For the point difference the grand villa wasn’t worth it for us.

We just got keys to the two bedroom for the guests in the studio so they could come and go as they pleased. It also let the studio people a chance to “get away” which is also sometimes nice.

 

[jo-jo]

We’ve done a grand villa and also a stay with a two bedroom and a studio. For the point difference the grand villa wasn’t worth it for us.

We just got keys to the two bedroom for the guests in the studio so they could come and go as they pleased. It also let the studio people a chance to “get away” which is also sometimes nice.

We did a 2 bedroom, studio stay with our 6 grandkids and DD and DDIL. We took the studio, we wanted to go to sleep when we wanted and not have little hands knocking on bedroom door.

 

[Nursemanit]

The one situation I would do the GV is if you wanted to have sit down dinners catered.

 

[georgiagirl2]

We've stayed in GVs at Kidani and Jambo. The one at Jambo is especially nice due to the pool table and the 3 enormous connecting balconies. The only drawback to the Jambo one is that one of the bedrooms with 2 queen beds is across the hall from the bathroom, instead of an en suite.

It worked well for us to have the living area free for early risers and night owls instead of having someone sleeping on the pullout.

I think it's really nice if the single person doesn't have to sleep in the living area, but you could accomplish this by getting a studio along with a 2BR if one is available.

 

[georgiagirl2]

I have never done a GV but we upgraded our 3 night January trip to a GV at RIV when we went to 6 guests..-..and potentially up to 8.

I had the points and feel it’s worth it with that many people. The other option was to get an additional studio but by the time the guests were added no studios at RIV were available

Seven of us stayed in a RIV GV for 3 nights last year and it was incredible! We had an abundance of points due to Covid and decided to splurge. Loved everything about it, especially the doorbell!

 

[limace]

The one situation I would do the GV is if you wanted to have sit down dinners catered.

Or, you know, cook.

 

[NVDISFamily]

Or, you know, cook.

Yes this! We have 9 nights in GVs in June (4 at CCV and 5 at Riviera) and we already told our guide that he is welcome to come and stop by our room for some good Mexican food. If you smell yummy beans/rice, carnitas, barbacoa, etc. coming from a room - we are guilty

My sister-in-law will also help and she usually throws down some delicious Filipino food..... man I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. I'm also considering hiring in a pro to do a legit brunch for us one of the days....

To the OPs point - I did an analysis of cost per SQ FT (points) based on a week at Riviera and the 2BR is the best, followed in a close 2nd by a studio. Getting the best for your points going for two 2BRs or a 2BR and a studio can't be beat. GVs are awesome for gathering/social space. We are having a small reunion of about 24ish people at Riviera, so the GV will help give us room to visit and mingle.



Here is my table I built. It's off a bit due to the rooms all being based on Standard views other than the GVs (only fancy views at Riviera for those). SQ FT per point at Riviera (weekly)

	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

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Once you upgrade it’s very hard to “slum it” again in “normal” rooms. Don’t say you haven’t been warned…

 

[Jonnnyap]

I’ve wondered the same thing as OP’s question.

We’re a family of 8 with friends and need more sleeping surfaces for different singles/couples in our group, so we’re pretty maxed in a 2-bedroom. We’ve successfully navigated a few 2-bedroom stays in the past few years, and I’m looking towards our next trip and planning a possible upgrade to more space.

For about the same number of points (at AKV where we love staying), one can get two 2-bedroom rooms or one 3-bedroom room. Other than the “wow” factor of the 3-bedroom (and larger dining area for gatherings), I’d be interested in people’s thoughts on why choose the 3 over two 2s. Having more sleeping surfaces and separate rooms seems preferable.

Since we absolutely love the savanna views as the primary reason to stay in AKV, are the 3-bedroom balconies in Jambo worth it vs two 2-bedrooms at Kidani?

Understandably, it depends upon preferences, so I’d love to hear thoughts on why one over the other.

Thanks in advance.

 

[jo-jo]

Or, you know, cook.

I don't mind the cooking, it's the cleaning up. I don't have that much experience with 1 or 2 bedrooms, but the dishwashers seem to be lacking on the cleaning level. Pulling out dishes and cups with food on them.

 

[Marionnette]

I’ve wondered the same thing as OP’s question.

We’re a family of 8 with friends and need more sleeping surfaces for different singles/couples in our group, so we’re pretty maxed in a 2-bedroom. We’ve successfully navigated a few 2-bedroom stays in the past few years, and I’m looking towards our next trip and planning a possible upgrade to more space.

For about the same number of points (at AKV where we love staying), one can get two 2-bedroom rooms or one 3-bedroom room. Other than the “wow” factor of the 3-bedroom (and larger dining area for gatherings), I’d be interested in people’s thoughts on why choose the 3 over two 2s. Having more sleeping surfaces and separate rooms seems preferable.

Since we absolutely love the savanna views as the primary reason to stay in AKV, are the 3-bedroom balconies in Jambo worth it vs two 2-bedrooms at Kidani?

Understandably, it depends upon preferences, so I’d love to hear thoughts on why one over the other.

Thanks in advance.

I guess for me, it's the larger gathering space that the GV offers. We recently stayed at VGF in a 2BR + studio for 3 couples and an infant. When everyone was in the living room in the 2BR, there just weren't enough seats unless we brought a chair over from the kitchen area. When we stayed in the GV a couple of years earlier, the amount of space was more than enough.

I will say that if your plans are to hit the parks early every day and stay until closing, a GV may be a waste of points. To really get the most out of one, you have to actually use it for more than sleeping and showering.

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

I will say that if your plans are to hit the parks early every day and stay until closing, a GV may be a waste of points. To really get the most out of one, you have to actually use it for more than sleeping and showering.

I think this is exactly right. Why stay in a 2BD when 2 studios are cheaper? Why stay in a 1BD if it doesn’t sleep any more people? We have done the parks enough times that we don’t need to be there from rope drop to closing. We appreciate family time, time in the room, space to separate the kids, and the memories created when you are somewhere spectacular.

I think that one of DS’s top 3 Disney experiences was sitting on the porch of the bungalow in the swinging chair just looking at the water. For me watching the light reflect off the water from the CCV GV has to make the top 3.

It’s intangible, I freely admit it, but once in a while I think it’s worth it. They are never going to remember anything special about a studio and a 2BD, but (for us) the upgraded rooms always make an impression.

 

[Jonnnyap]

You all make great points about the value of time spent in the rooms. We’re in a family stage where younger kids want to be in the parks rope drop to fireworks and some of us enjoy more time at the AKV… so perhaps my back and forth about which room setup to choose reflects the differences in how people in our family/friend group will use the space.

Understandably, as you point out, being in the nicer 3-bedroom GV is more memorable and impressive if you’re there for more than just the beds and actually see the savanna in daylight.