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

[bianca]

We are staying 9 nights in a GV at Kidani in December. Our last stay was in a GV at HHI. Like others have stated, if you’re going to be enjoying each others company and not doing a ton of time in the parks, the GV is the way to go. We can all fit around the dining table and at the bar for meals. More of us can fit in the living room area, and in the case of Kidani, there’s even the extra loft space for the kids. One of the biggest plusses for our crew is just not crashing into someone everywhere you turn …. On a long trip, this can help the mood of everyone in attendance!

 

[theMoreDisneytheBetter]

Funny story, but 2 summers ago we upgraded to a 3 room suite (2BD and a living room) in Cancun because we got a great price for it. It was lovely but not really necessary…until a hurricane hit and we got to spend a day locked in the room. If we had been 5 people in 1 small hotel room there’s a decent chance someone might have braved the winds just to get a little breathing room!

 

[Lorana]

We did a GV at AKV Jambo House over Thanksgiving last year for a group of 10, and it was wonderful - like a nice house, and we were able to cook a big Thanksgiving dinner and all sit down to eat together at the table there. We also brought curtains with retractable rods, as well as an air mattress, and turned the pool table room into an extra room for the older teens to have a "room" to themselves. Myself and husband had the master, our kids had a bedroom, my SIL, husband and her younger kids had the third bedroom, and her older teens took the pool table room. (They could have slept in the living room, but they wanted their own space).

We have a GV this weekend at CCV and against at Jambo House, as we are taking our friends and their son (who is our godson) on their first trip, and we wanted to all share a space together. I can also give feedback on this weekend as to whether we thought it was worth it. We only have 6 people there this time (my oldest son is off at college now!!!), and while one could argue that we could have done this with a 2BR we didn't want to make my 15 year old sleep in the living room when there is going to be a toddler waking up at 6am. We opted for the GV to give us plenty of "living space" and to ensure that everyone (us, our son, and our friends & their toddler) had their own room. Yes, it was a crazy amount of points, but this is a special trip as it is our godson's very first and we wanted to make it wonderful, special, and easy for our friends.

 

[RoseGold]

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.

Yea, I have to clean before I cook, ugh. I will heat things up, like a frozen pizza though!

 

[Jonnnyap]

Space = happier people is definitely true. That's a great point. Which is why I thought having two 2-bedrooms would give more space than a single 3BR GV. People could "retreat" to their separate spaces as needed, but might be too crowded if they all gather in a "common" 2BR for meals (if you choose to do them together).

Having a 1BR or larger with the kitchen helps, even if you don't want to do a lot of cooking. In the AKV gift shop (which I presume is true in other DVC resorts), they sell frozen pizza for ~$6, which for a Disney trip seems like a great deal.

 

[Sandisw]

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.

I have to agree. I book 1 bedrooms now even when it could be just me.

When I was there in July and did the resort studios at VGF hoping they would give us connecting for that one night and did not, it was a let down to have me in one room and my friend and her son in the next.

So except in rare cases, we will always book larger rooms if we can. Fortunately most of our trips are short..3 or 4 nights so the GV option is doable when it’s more than 4 for those trips which probably happen Every other year.

 

[crisi]

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........

We had this happen and had four of us in a GV. Our kids each got their own bedroom. (In our case, my BIL passed away from cancer and no one wanted to take the trip).